Thrice Defied: Malfoy Family Album
by Rae Kelly
Summary: Part three of the Thrice Defied series. Christmases. Weddings. Birthdays. Babies. Funerals. School. Lucius Malfoy tells his grandchildren about the good and bad times the family has gone through in the ten years since the end of Rebuilding and Recovering.
1. Chapter 1

**Present Day **

There was a large group gathered on the beautiful August afternoon in the expansive gardens of Malfoy Manor. In a few days several of those gathered would be heading back to Hogwarts for the coming school year, some as students and others as professors at the prestigious school.

Lucius Malfoy stood on the second floor balcony off the library watching as his guests, friends and family enjoyed themselves in the summer sun. There were times it was hard for him to believe just how far they had come in the years since the war had ended. At times it was still hard for him to believe that his missing son had been returned to him in the hours after the Final Battle, even though it had been eleven years. Eleven years that had been hard on all of them, but despite the hardships they had been good years. He and his wife now had six grandchildren with another on the way and one adopted grandchild.

His eyes drifted over to where his youngest daughter was holding court amongst her friends, looking so much like Draco had at that age. Liliana Grace, called Lily, had surprised the Wizarding World when she had been Sorted at Hogwarts as a First Year. The Sorting Hat had pronounced her a 'Slythindor' rather than place her in one House. Harry had been delighted, telling his baby sister that he was glad that he wasn't the only one to ever wear the crests of two Houses. The night of her Sorting, class schedules had been arranged so that the first years of Gryffindors and Slytherins shared all of their classes. Lily had also been given a bed in both dorms and she moved between the two Houses easily. It had been her influence, and that of her older much brothers, that had gone a long way to reversing the old rivalries between the two Houses. She would be entering her final year at Hogwarts as Head Girl.

Lucius' youngest son, Regulus Sirius, was walking around the edge of the garden with his young girlfriend, Katie Snape. They seemed to be in deep discussion about something. Lucius had, and yet hadn't, been surprised when Reg had been sorted into Hufflepuff as a first year. Of all of his children Reg was the most patient and fair-minded. He had tried out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as a First Year, and like his brother Harry before him, had made the team. However, he had refused to unseat the Seventh Year who played Keeper, instead requesting to be made the Reserve Keeper. He had later been named Captain as a Fourth Year. Reg had received several offers to play professional Quidditch, but had turned them all down to take an apprenticeship with the wandmaker Ollivander, who had become a close friend of the family over the years. He had just finished his first year of apprenticeship.

After a couple of years of watching his friends and fellow students pair off into couples, Reg had gone to his godsister Katie and had asked her who she Saw in his future. The young Seer had refused to tell him, instead going to speak to her parents. With their encouragement and words of advice, she finally told him that she had Seen herself in his future. And even though she was just starting her Sixth Year, they were already making plans to marry as soon as she graduated from Hogwarts when she would also join him as an apprentice to Ollivander.

The summer after her third year his oldest daughter, Aurora Isabelle, had requested and been granted permission to stay at Hogwarts over the summers with her godfather in order to take extra classes. She had taken and passed her N.E.W.T.'s in every subject that Hogwarts taught. The only person who had even come close to this was Hermione Granger, who had gotten her N.E.W.T.'s in every subject except Divination. Now she worked from her home working with the professors at Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Salem to rewrite out of date textbooks. This allowed her to stay home with her toddler son with her husband, Corbin Diggory, who was a cousin of Cedric Diggory. They were also expecting her second child.

His gaze traveled to where his best friend, Severus Snape, stood talking to Narcissa, Camille and Minerva McGonagall. After three years as Headmistress, Minerva had decided that she no longer wanted to be Headmistress and had resumed her old position as Deputy Headmistress. This had pushed Severus back into the role of Headmaster, something he had actually been quite good at. Severus had then moved his wife and children into Hogwarts. He had continued to teach N.E.W.T. level Potions and Defence classes for a couple years while Harry and Draco had adjusted to their new roles as professors. Young Katie had been Sorted into Slytherin and Gabriel would be attending Hogwarts as a First Year.

Lucius watched as Gabriel joined Teddy Lupin in teasing the third member of their little trio, Libby Weasley. Victoria Weasley, daughter of Bill and Fleur Weasley, was, as usual, tagging along and being ignored. The two oldest Weasley grandchildren still had another year before they would be old enough to attend Hogwarts. It wasn't that the threesome meant to ignore Victoria , but they spent all year together at Hogwarts where they lived with their parents. Teddy had been adopted at the age of three by Harry. He would be starting his second year as a Gryffindor like his father and godfather.

As planned Harry, Draco, Hermione Granger-Weasley and Neville Longbottom had spent two years in a Muggle University taking classes in education before returning to Hogwarts as professors. Neville had taken over the Herbology classes while Hermione had started teaching Muggle Studies. She had also started a new class for first year students who had been Muggle-raised like Harry and herself. Harry took over Defense Against the Dark Arts and Draco had taken over Potions.

When they returned to Hogwarts Minerva and Severus decided to turn over their Head of House duties to their younger colleagues and had come up with an unusual solution. Harry would pull double duty as Head of House for both of his Houses. He would be sharing the Head of House responsibilities for both Houses; he would be sharing duties with Hermione for Gryffindor and with Draco for Slytherin. This would allow all three of the young professors time to devote to their young families.

Lucius looked down when a small hand slipped into his to see his grandson Scorpi standing beside him. If Lucius were to admit to a favorite grandchild, he would have to say that Scorpius was his favorite…not that he would admit to it. "Hey there, buddy." He lifted the six-year-old up into his arms. Scorpi looked like his father, but his personality was more that of his uncle.

Scorpi rested his head on his grandfather's shoulder, snuggling into the strong arms that held him. "Show me G'amma's picture book…" he whispered.

"Grandma's picture book, huh?" Lucius asked, carrying the boy back into the library.

"I want a story too," Scorpi told him.

"Pictures and a story," Lucius replied, sitting in his favorite chair and summoning the photo album that Narcissa had been putting together for years. He flipped open the album to the first page, which contained only two photographs. One of the photographs was a picture of Harry, Ron and Hermione during the heat of the Final Battle. It had been the last picture that Colin Creevey had ever taken of Harry. His camera had been found during the cleanup of Hogwarts and his parents had insisted on giving the photograph to Lucius and Narcissa. The other was the photograph that had been used on the cover of a _Witch Weekly_ magazine. It had been taken during that years Quidditch World Cup when Harry and Draco had faced off in a mock duel. It was the first picture that had been taken of them once they had both been told they were brothers.

"A story Grandpa," Scorpi insisted.

Lucius smiled down at the boy. "Alright…a story. It all started the Christmas after Libby's first birthday…"


	2. Chapter 2

**December 2000**

Hermione Granger-Weasley let herself into Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, which had become as much her home as the Burrow had since her graduation from Hogwarts. Not only did Andromeda Tonks watch Libby while Hermione was in classes, but the young mother also spent many hours studying in the vast library with Harry, Draco and Neville. "Aunt Andy," she called as she entered the house. Both she and Neville had taken to calling her 'Aunt Andy' as Harry and Draco did. "I'm finished with my exams."

"How did they go?" Andromeda asked as she walked out of the drawing room with fifteen-month-old Libby on her hip. Two-year-old Teddy walked along beside her. Today his hair was silver like Andromeda's, but was short and messy like Harry's.

"Hard," Hermione replied, taking her daughter from the woman and giving her a tight hug. "But I'm pretty sure I passed. I can't wait until we finish in June."

"I'm sure you did fine, dear. Where are those nephews of mine?"

"They went Christmas shopping," Hermione told her. "Those two haven't even started their shopping yet."

Andromeda shook her head as Hermione put a squirming Libby on her feet. Teddy took the younger toddler's hand and they slowly walked back into the drawing room where their toys were. "I don't know what I'm going to do with those boys, 'Mi," she told the younger woman. "They've gotten somewhat scatterbrained."

Hermione laughed. "Hopefully Ginny and Astoria will straighten them out." She tried not to show the pain in her heart when she mentioned Astoria. Hermione and Ron had been married for a year and a half, but deep down a part of her heart sill belonged to Draco. She truly was happy, but sometimes she felt like something was missing.

"You're going to be standing up with Ginny, won't you?" Andromeda asked as they made their way into the drawing room to watch the toddlers play.

"Yes. And Daphne is standing up with her sister." The two couples had decided to have a double ceremony with only one attendant each. Harry and Draco would be standing up for each other in the wedding that was to take place in six months. The newspapers and magazines had been speculating on many of the different aspects of the double wedding ceremony since it had been announced the previous summer. The three mothers were working quite hard to plan the large wedding that the Wizarding world expected for their liberator, but still keeping it simple as the two couples wanted.

Harry had tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible, but that had been next to impossible with the Wizarding public trying to get as much information as they could on The-Boy-Who-Lived. There had been many long sessions with the Malfoy legal team before an agreement was reached with the press. They would leave Harry alone if he agreed to one photo shoot and one interview a year. Anything else would be considered unauthorized and subject to legal action.

Andromeda squeezed Hermione's hand, as if knowing what the younger woman was thinking. "All will be well, my dear," she said wisely, before calling for Kreacher to bring them tea.

"Is the rest of the family coming here for Christmas?" Hermione asked as they waited.

"Yes. It's become a bit of a tradition for them to spend Christmas here, though we will be going to Malfoy Manor for the New Year. Cissy has planned a large ball to ring in the new year."

"When does the Hogwarts Express arrive?"

"Tomorrow. Lucius, Narcissa and Lily will be coming this evening and they will all go pick up Aurora and Reg at the station tomorrow."

"Aurora wrote that she was trying to convince them to allow her to take classes over the summer," Hermione said. "She reminds me a lot of myself at that age."

"Severus and Minerva gave her permission. She's taking Divination, Muggle Studies and Magical Creatures during the school year and she'll study Arithmancy and Ancient Runes over the summer."

"I wish I had thought about that option when I was in Third Year instead of using that Time Turner. It was hard work to make sure that I didn't catch myself coming or going. I suppose it's a good thing that all those Time Turners were destroyed when we went to the Ministry."

"From what I understand you handled yourself very well. And that you and Harry were able to save Sirius and Buckbeak at the end of that year."

Hermione smiled at the memory. Harry had been truly happy that night for the first time she remembered. "We did...somehow."

The front door opened and Andromeda turned that direction. "Harry? Draco?"

Draco stuck his head around the doorframe with a smirk. "Hello Aunt Andy. 'Mione."

"I thought you two were going shopping," Andromeda said.

"We did," he said as he and his twin brother joined them for the tea that Kreacher had brought them while the two women were talking. "We got presents for Astoria and Ginny. We'll go get the rest tomorrow before we meet the Express."

"Harry," Teddy squealed, scrambling to his feet and running over to his beloved godfather.

Harry lifted the boy into his arms, giving him a hug. He enjoyed coming home every day because of the wonderful greetings he got from Teddy. Harry couldn't wait until he and Ginny married this summer and started having children of their own. More than anything he wanted a large family of his own. Katie had told them that they would only have a son and a daughter, but by his reckoning that didn't mean that they couldn't adopt. If he wasn't sure that it would upset Andromeda, he would adopt Teddy in a heartbeat. "My Teddy Bear..." he said, tickling the toddler.

Teddy squealed again and wiggled on Harry's lap. "'Top!"

After a moment Harry stopped, cuddling the boy again. Not to be left out, Libby toddled over and pulled on Harry's trousers. Chuckling, Harry pulled her up to share his lap with Teddy.

"How many godchildren do you plan to have?" Draco teased his brother.

Harry just laughed. "Oh...with your three I'll have enough for a whole Qudditch team," he said, winking at his twin.

Draco made a face at him.

The Floo flared green and the face of a pale Percy Weasley appeared in the flames. "May I step through Harry?"

"Of course, Percy," Harry said, standing and depositing the two toddlers back in the corner with their toys. He turned back to greet Percy, who was now Kingsley Shacklebolt's assistant. "What's wrong?"

Percy glanced at the others and then looked back at Harry. "There was an accident," he said, glancing at Hermione again.

"An accident?" Harry asked. "Ginny?"

He shook his head. "Not Ginny. Ron."

Hermione gasped loudly and started shaking where she stood next to Harry.

Harry turned and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "What happened, Percy?" Knowing that he couldn't offer Hermione the comfort that he wanted to offer her, Draco moved to stand beside his aunt instead.

"I still don't know all the details," Percy explained. "I was with the Minister when word came through about the accident. He sent me to bring you to St. Mungo's...that's where they are bringing him."

"Go on, dear," Andromeda told her. "Draco and I will keep an eye on Libby for you."

Hermione buried her face in Harry's jacket for a moment before nodding. Harry held her close and Apparated them both to St. Mungo's.


	3. Chapter 3

**December 2000**

The lobby was crowded when they arrived at St. Mungo's. Harry led Hermione over to the line waiting for the Welcome Witch. After several minutes they finally made it to the front of the line. "Ronald Weasley," Harry told her. "He's an Auror and was brought in within the last hour."

The Welcome Witch consulted the clipboard in her hand. "Spell Damage Ward," she told them.

"Thank you," Harry replied, leading Hermione toward the lifts. They took the lifts to the fourth floor and were directed to a small side room where a Healer was speaking to Ron. The red head was barely recognizable for all the bandages. Harry had seen these injuries before when visiting those injured in the Final Battle. Ron had burns and cuts covering all visible parts of his body. From the angle his leg was laying, Harry knew it was broken. He wouldn't have been surprised if Ron had internal injuries as well.

The Healer stepped away from Ron and walked over to them. "Mrs. Weasley?"

Hermione nodded. "How bad is it?"

"It's not good, ma'am. I've never seen damage this bad. Lacerations, burns, broken bones, internal damage…his chances aren't good and if he does make it, he'll never fully recover."

She closed her eyes and Harry placed a comforting arm around her. "You're certain?"

"Positive."

There was movement over at the bed. "'Mi…Harry…"

"I'll give you a few minutes," the Healer told them, stepping out of the room.

Hermione and Harry moved over to the bed. "Oh Ron…" Hermione said, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry…"

"I can't help it," she replied, gently placing her hand on one of his bandage covered hands.

"Where's the baby?"

"With Andromeda. We were at Grimmauld Place when Percy found us."

"Can you get her? I want to see her…"

She nodded and gently kissed his cheek before leaving the room, pausing at the door to look back at him for a moment.

"How are you, mate?" Harry asked.

"I'm not going to make it, Harry," Ron told him.

"Ron…"

"No. I don't want to end up on the Janus Thickey Ward. Don't want Libby coming to see me on holidays and such like Neville does with his parents."

"I'll miss you, mate."

"We haven't always seen eye-to-eye, Harry, but you're still my best friend."

Harry sat on the edge of the bed. "Same goes for me, Ron."

"Take care of my girls?"

"Of course. They'll always have a home with Ginny and I."

"Thanks, mate," Ron said, closing his eyes.

Harry sat with him as his breathing slowed and then finally stopped. He stayed another moment before standing and going to find Hermione.

--

Almost as soon as Harry and Hermione left to go to St. Mungo's, Libby began to cry for her mother. Draco lifted the toddler into his arms. "it's alright, princess," he cooed, cuddling her close. "Your mummy will be back soon."

"She's probably tired," Andromeda told him. "Why don't you take her up to Teddy's room and rock her. I'll bring up a bottle in a few minutes."

He nodded and wandlessly summoned the small stuffed dragon that he had given her a birth. Hermione had charmed him to be a bright green with pink spots instead of the dark green and silver it had been it had been when he had played with it as a toddler. It looked like something out of a Muggle cartoon that he had seen while passing a Muggle electronics store one day. Libby snatched the dragon from him and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her auburn hair, carrying her up to Teddy's room where an extra crib had been set up for the young girl.

Draco sat in the rocking chair, which had been salvaged from the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow by Severus for Harry's nineteenth birthday, and settled her on his lap. He took the bottler that Kreacher brought to him and gave it to the girl who could have been his daughter. "Libby...when you grow up you better listen to your heart and not your head. If your Uncle Draco had done that, then he'd be your daddy right now and your mummy wouldn't have had to rush off to St. Mungo's." He sighed deeply. "I hate to say it, princess, but I don't think your daddy is going to make it. I'm no Seer like Katie...it's just a feeling. Your poor mummy is going to need lots of comfort and I just won't be able to give it to her. It just wouldn't be fair to either of us...or Astoria."

He glanced down and noticed that Libby had fallen asleep in his arms. Shifting her into a more comfortable position, he closed his eyes and he continued to rock her. There was no sense in mourning what could have been. He had to focus on what was...but for a moment...just for a moment...he'd pretend.

--

Andromeda watched as Draco carried Libby up the stairs to the bedrooms and then turned back to look at her grandson. He was normally a very well behaved child so he would be alright left alone for a few moments while she prepared a bottle for Libby as long as she placed a few specialized charms around the room. Many wealthy families had house elves who acted as nannies for their young children. Andromeda had grown up with one such nanny, but didn't want that for her grandson. Harry didn't want it either. They were both fine with leaving Teddy in Kreacher's care for short periods of time, but neither wanted to turn his complete care over to the elf.

Placing the charms and wards that would keep Teddy in his play area and alert her if he needed her, Andromeda made her way downstairs into the kitchen to prepare the bottle for Libby.

She easily prepared the bottle, using a charm to warm it. As she turned to take it upstairs to Draco, she suddenly grew dizzy and there was a tightness in her chest that made it hard to breath. Staggering, she dropped into the nearest chair.

Kreacher appeared by her side with a quiet pop. "Is Mistress alright? Should Kreacher get Master Harry or Master Draco?"

"No," she gasped. "I'm fine."

"But Mistress..."

"Just take the bottle to Draco and watch Teddy for me, Kreacher. I'll be back upstairs in a moment."

The elf looked like he wanted to protest further, but took the bottle and did as he was instructed.

--

Harry found Hermione sitting in the lobby of St. Mungo's near the Floo. He crossed the busy waiting room and sank into the seat next to her. "Mi..."

She lifted her face from her hands. "He's gone, isn't he?"

"Yeah," he sighed, pulling her into his arms.

"I knew when I saw him, Harry," she replied, resting her head on his chest. "He...he didn't really want to see Libby, did he?"

"No. I think he just didn't want you to have to witness another death, Mi...that's something we should have never seen."

"And you saw it earlier than any of us did."

"I know," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I promised Ron that I would take care of you and Libby...but that means you have to let me, Mi. If you need anything, no matter how big or small, you have to let me know."

"I will, Harry," she told him as the rest of the Weasley family stumbled from the Floo.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry stood with Ginny and George across the room from where Hermione and the Weasley parents were talking to St. Mungo's officials making arrangements for the release of Ron's body. His body would be laid to rest next to Fred's in the orchard where they had spent so much time playing Quidditch.

When the Weasleys had stepped from the Floo just over an hour ago, Molly had taken one look at Harry and Hermione and known that her son was gone. She had pulled them both into her arms for a long, smothering hug as she sobbed. Arthur had held his daughter until Harry could get away from Molly to comfort his bride-to-be. George had been pale, quiet and withdrawn and now that he thought about it, Harry wasn't sure that he had spoken at all since they had arrived.

"Did Angelina stay at the store?" Harry asked his old teammate, still holding Ginny to him. She had her arms around his waist and was resting her head against his chest.

"Yeah…" George answered quietly. He and Angelina had gotten married the Christmas before and were expecting their first born any day now. The coming child was a boy that they planned to name Fred.

Keeping one arm firmly around Ginny, Harry reached over and gave his friend's arm a comforting squeeze. He knew how much George still missed his twin and sometimes struggled with depression, though Angelina had been good for him.

The three turned when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror Office, stepped into the room. "What happened to my brother?" Ginny asked them quietly, not wanting to disturb her parents.

Robards glanced at Minister Shacklebolt, who gave a brief nod. "They were on a routine training mission when they were ambushed by the last three known Death Eaters that are still loose," Kingsley responded.

Harry tightened his hold on Ginny. "Are…are they still on the loose?"

"No," Robards answered. "Weasley's trainer and his training partner were able to subdue all three. Weasley was between the Death Eaters and the other Aurors when the ambush started. He took the brunt of the curses, almost all of them in fact. They had no warning at all before they were attacked."

"What's going to happen to those three Death Eaters?" George asked quietly.

"They've already been taken to the Ministry and shoved through the Veil," the Head Auror told him.

"No trials?" Harry asked. Even though the three Death Eaters had attacked and murdered his best friend, having people tossed into Azkaban or shoved through the Veil without a trial was still a sensitive subject with him.

"This isn't like Sirius, Harry," Kingsley told him. "If these three hadn't been caught in the act, I would have made sure that they were given a trial."

Harry nodded and rested his head on top of Ginny's.

Squeezing Harry's shoulder, Kingsley and Robards moved around them to speak to Hermione and the Weasley parents.

Harry stood in Ron's old room at the Burrow, staring out the window over the garden toward the orchard where they had buried Ron just a short while ago. He could faintly hear his family downstairs as they waited on the meal that Molly insisted on feeding them before they went home.

They had tried to tell her that she didn't need to feed them, but she had insisted and his father had finally agreed after exchanging a look with Arthur Weasley. Molly needed to keep busy. He was sure that his mother, Aunt Andy, Camille and Mrs. Granger were trying to help her prepare a meal for the small army.

As he watched out the window, he saw his father and Arthur Weasley walking toward the shed where Arthur kept all of the Muggle gadgets that he had collected over the years. They appeared to be deep in conversation as they walked, but even that couldn't bring a smile to Harry's face as it usually did. Arthur and Lucius had agreed to lay aside their old feud for the sake of their children's happiness and had found that they actually got along quite well.

Young voices out in the yard told him that Ginny and Fleur had taken the children out into the garden to burn off some energy. Bill and Fleur's first child, Victoria, had just celebrated her first birthday and they had told the family then that they were expecting their second child. Percy had married Audrey, a Muggle young woman from the nearby village, just a few months ago and Harry knew that it wouldn't be long before they would start giving Molly and Arthur even more grandchildren.

A hand on his shoulder told him that his brother had joined him. "You want to talk?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, as Draco moved to sit on the camp bed that Harry had slept on every time he came to the Burrow. It had been placed there during the summer before their second year at Hogwarts and the Weasleys had never taken it down. Harry sighed before moving to sit beside his twin brother. "He was my first friend. I...I wouldn't have even made it to Hogwarts if not for the Weasleys. I was dropped off at King's Cross and left there, only knowing that I had to find Platform 9 and 3/4. They showed me how to get through the barrier and helped me get onto the train..."

"Where I was the world's biggest prat..."

Harry looked at his brother. "I forgave you for that a long time ago."

"Did he ever forgive me?"

"When Mother and Molly and Metrodora started discussing wedding plans, I wanted to have both you and Ron be my attendants. After you decided you only wanted one attendant, he told me that I should just have one as well...and that it should be you. He knew that it would be important to you."

"He really said that?"

Harry nodded. "He saw a lot more than he pretended."

There was a soft knock on the door and they both looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "Dinner is ready," she told them.

"Thanks, Mi," Harry replied, standing and walking over to her. He put his arm around her as they turned and walked downstairs together.

**Present Day**

"Uncle Harry was really sad, wasn't he?" Scorpi asked, looking up at his grandfather.

Lucius nodded. "He was. Libby's father was his best friend."

"The weddings came next, didn't they Grandpa?" Marcella asked as she and her cousin Terzah settled on either arm of the chair.

Eight-year-old Romulus leaned over the back of the chair. "No one wants to hear about any weddings..."

Lucius chuckled. "I know you aren't interested in the weddings, Romy, but that is what comes next," he told them, turning the page of the album.

**AN: I was asked about putting together a family tree. As soon as I figure out the best way to create one, I will post it. Does anyone have any suggestions?**


	5. Chapter 5

**June 2001**

Harry was sitting in the study of Malfoy Manor with Lucius, getting his father's help going over his monthly financial statements from Gringott's. Even though it had been several years since he had inherited the Potter and Black vaults, he had only had help managing them in the last three years and he still had trouble with them sometimes. "Is that the last of it?" he asked, setting down the papers and standing, stretching his back.

"That's it," Lucius replied. "You're managing things very well."

"Thank you, Father. I understand everything you've taught me, but sometimes it's nice to have someone double check things for me."

"You are quite welcome, son. You only have two weeks until the wedding. Do you have everything ready?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Andromeda and Ginny have been redecorating both Potter House and Grimmauld Place. That's why I've been staying here."

Lucius chuckled. "Those two are quite alike. What do you have planned for your honeymoon? Ginny has asked your mother frequently if she knew what you were up to because you told her that you wanted to surprise her."

"I am surprising her," Harry said with a grin. "Hermione is helping me pull it off. I'm taking her to Capri for two weeks. That was all the time she could get away from the Harpies."

"You two will enjoy Capri. Your mother and I went there many years ago. Draco is looking forward to returning to France. I took him there when he was younger when I went on business trips during the summer."

"You own some vineyards in the Bordeaux region, correct?"

"I do. We also have a small villa there. That's where they will be staying."

"Maybe I'll take Ginny one day."

Just as Lucius was about to respond, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," he called.

The door opened and Astoria walked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt…Draco was supposed to meet me for lunch and then we were going to look at the house he picked out for me. But he didn't show up."

"Where have you looked for him?" Harry asked.

"I came here first to see if you knew where he was," she replied.

Harry nodded. "He's staying at Grimmauld Place this week. I'll go over there and see if he's still there. He may have simply forgotten, Astoria."

"Thank you, Harry."

With another nod, Harry Apparated to the entrance of Grimmauld Place. "Draco…" he called. It wasn't like his brother to forget anything. He had a feeling something was wrong and that was why he had offered to go look for his brother himself.

When he didn't get an answer, he reached out with his magic to check the wards. Draco was still in the house. Fearing the worst, Harry ran up the stairs to Draco's room. He stopped short when he saw his brother unconscious on the floor. Cursing, he hurried to his brother's side. Draco was paler than normal, but it was easy to see that he was running a high fever.

"Kreacher!" he called for his house elf.

The ancient elf appeared beside him a moment later. "Yes, Master Harry? Oh…Master Draco!"

Harry forced the elf to look at him. "I need you to fetch Mother and Father. And tell Father to send for Healer Davies. Then get Severus. We'll need Severus too."

"Right away, Master Harry," the elf replied before disappearing again.

Harry started to levitate his before back onto the bed, but hesitated, remembering that Healer Davies had told them that in some cases using magic on a person with Draco's condition sometimes caused a drastic drain on their magical energy. "Come on, dragon," he said, lifting his brother into his arms and standing.

As he got his brother back onto the bed, Narcissa arrived and by the time the others arrived they had him in clean pajamas. Draco had remained unconscious and was running a dangerously high fever.

Narcissa and Severus stayed with the Heather while Harry and Lucius went back downstairs to wait. They found Astoria in the drawing room. "What's going on?" she demanded of them.

Harry exchanged a glance with Lucius before walking over to her. "He's very sick, Astoria," he said, leading her over to one of the sofas in the room. "He was unconscious when I found him and he's running a high fever. But Healer Davies is with him now."

She was quiet for a moment. "May I stay?" she asked him softly.

"Of course," he told her. "You are part of this family now."

"Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome."

It was several hours later when the Healer and her two assistants finally came downstairs and joined the family in the drawing room. Harry had Lily on his lap with Reg and Ginny on either side of him. Camille was distracted Aurora with talk of wedding plans, Gabriel asleep in her arms while Katie played nearby with Teddy. Aurora was curled up in the window seat with one of her summer textbooks. Lucius and Andromeda were having a rather serious discussion in low tones on the far side of the room.

"How is he?" Harry asked them, standing and putting Lily in the place he had just vacated.

"He's quite ill," Healer Davies told them. "I've got his fever under control for now."

"What's wrong with him?" Lucius asked.

"Wizard's Flu. It's going to be touch and go for a while because of his condition, but I have high hopes that he'll recover," she told them.

"What about the wedding?" Astoria questioned. "It's only two weeks away."

Healer Davies smiled at her. "I think he'll recover in time, but he'll be weak."

"Thank you, Healer."

"You are welcome, Miss Greengrass." The Healer turned to Harry. "I'll show myself out." With that she left the room, leaving the family alone.

The room was quiet for several minutes as they all processed what the Healer had told them. Even the younger children were quiet as if knowing something important was happening.

"I'll get Kreacher to move my things here," Harry said, wrapping an arm around Ginny's waist as she came to stand beside him.

"I'd like to help with the nursing," Astoria told no one in particular.

Ginny reached over and squeezed her hand. Over the last two years they had become friends, even though the she was not as close to Astoria as she was to Hermione. No, Hermione was more like the sister she had never had. "I'll help too. Between the three of us we'll have him well in time for the wedding."

Astoria smiled at her. "Thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

**July 1, 2001**

_Today is the day that the whole Wizarding World has been looking forward to for many months. Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, will be getting married today in a joint ceremony with his twin brother, Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater. The ceremony will be held in the gardens of Malfoy Manor and is invitation only._

_Mr. Potter will be marrying Ginerva Weasley, the only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley. The Weasleys lost their youngest son, and Harry Potter's best friend, just before Christmas when a routine Auror training mission was ambushed by three Death Eaters. The Potters will live most of the year and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Mr. Potter has accepted a position as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The future Mrs. Potter plans to continue playing Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies, a position that she has held for two years._

_Mr. Malfoy will marry Astoria Greengrass, daughter of Sebastian and Metrodora Greengrass, owners of Greengrass Broom Company. The Malfoys will also reside at Hogwarts School where Mr. Malfoy has accepted a position as Potions professor while pursuing his Mastery in Potions under Headmaster Severus Snape. There has been some concern in the Malfoy and Greengrass houses the last fortnight as to whether Mr. Malfoy would be well enough to even attend his own wedding. Mr. Malfoy was diagnosed with a bad case of Wizard's Flu two weeks ago._

* * *

Draco had been feeling fine the day before the wedding, but was feeling rather weak this morning and had flatly refused to get out of bed.

Narcissa breezed into the room, having been informed of her son's stubbornness by a house elf. She and Lucius had flipped a coin to see which of them would deal with Draco and she had lost. "You will be getting out of that bed if you know what's good for you, young man," she told him, throwing open the curtains with a flick of her wand.

"Go away," he moaned, pulling the blankets over his head.

"Are you decent?" she asked.

"No," he lied.

Another flick of her wand banished the bedding that he had been hiding under.

"Mother!" he shrieked, sitting up with another moan.

"You ought to know better than to lie to me," she responded. She walked over to the wardrobe, pulling out his new dress robes and laying them on the bed.

"What if I hadn't been lying?"

"It's not like I haven't seen it before, son. I am your mother after all."

He made a face and dropped back down on the bed. "I don't feel like getting up today."

She sat down beside him. "Because you aren't feeling well? Or is it something else?"

"Both," he answered after a few minutes.

"Let's handle this one problem at a time. What's wrong physically?"

Draco sighed. "I just don't feel like I'll be able to stand up today." Wizard's Flu normally took a lot out of a person but his condition, Degenerative Magical Immune Syndrome, made it even worse. Most people with Wizard's Flu would already be up and moving around after a week.

"That's easily handled. You sit down and just stand up for the ceremony. You can even use the cane that your father gave you."

He made another face. "I hate using it. It makes me feel...weak."

"Is your father weak?"

"No. The cane just adds to his image."

"It makes him look distinguished. And it will do the same for you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Positive. Now, what else is bothering you?"

"Astoria," he sighed. "I care for her, I really do. And I think I even love her a little, but...I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about marrying her when I don't love her the way she deserves."

"It's a little late to be worrying about that, don't you think?"

"I know...but, I guess what I'm really worried about is whether I said something I shouldn't have while I was sick..."

"You did. She knows. And she stayed anyway. Right now, she's downstairs getting dressed. Which is what you should be doing."

Sighing, he slowly stood up. "Alright. You've convinced me. I'll get up."

She kissed his cheek before leaving him alone to dress.

* * *

Downstairs in adjoining rooms the two brides were also dressing with their mothers and attendants help. Ginny looked at her mother and Hermione and smiled at them. "Thank you both for your help."

"You look beautiful, Ginny," Molly said with tears in her eyes. "My baby girl is getting married."

Ginny and Hermione just barely resisted the urge to roll their eyes. "Would you two give me a minute to go talk to Astoria?" Ginny asked them. When they both nodded, she moved across the room to the adjoining door, knocking softly.

A moment later Daphne let her into the room. "Come on in, Ginny," she told the younger girl. After a quick conversations the two brides were left alone.

Ginny walked over to where Astoria was sitting on a sofa and carefully lowered herself to sit, taking care not to wrinkle her gown. "Astoria, I haven't been as welcoming to you as I should have been. You are going to be a part of this family just as much as I am and I know that there have been times when I have treated you like you were just tagging along. I'm sorry for that."

"I've been a bit jealous of how well you fit in with this family. Most times I've just felt like an outsider looking in."

" I...I've always wanted sisters and I'm actually quite excited about gaining three more today."

"Three?" Astoria asked her.

"Yes. Aurora, Lily and you."

Astoria smiled at her. "Thank you, Ginny. That means a lot to me."

Ginny reached over and hugged her. "Welcome to the family."

"You too, Ginny," Astoria said, returning the hug.

There was a quiet knock on the door and Camille stuck her head in the room. "It's time."


	7. A Note from Me

My dear readers,

I just wanted to let you all know that I have not forgotten you.

My last job ended rather suddenly at the beginning of May. I had known that the job was ending, but was thinking that I would be working through the end of the month. Part of working in the construction industry is knowing that jobs can end much quicker than we are expecting.

On May 25th, I received a call telling me that if I could be in Mobile, Alabama, by five that evening, I would have a job starting the next morning making $2 an hour more than I was at my last job. Needless to say I dropped everything and rushed to Mobile, arriving there with half an hour to spare.

I am working on the oil spill clean up at the Theodore staging area as the Administration Manager for Marine Operations and the Decontamination docks. Right now we're working 80 plus hours a week, so pretty much all I do when I get off is eat, shower and sleep. I'm putting in a lot of high stress hours, but I'm loving every minute of my job. I'm also getting to meet people from all over the country (and even President Obama. shh!). While I hate that the oil spill happened, I'm really enjoying this once in a lifetime experience.

Because I've been so busy, I haven't had much time for writing. I'm really not sure when I'll get time to write. But I promise to try and update whenever I get a chance. I love you all and really miss hearing from you.

Wishing you all the best,

Rae Kelly


	8. Chapter 7

**Thank you all for the wonderful encouragement!**

* * *

Astoria glanced over at her new husband's parents and gave them a slight nod. Draco had insisted on dancing the traditional first dance with her while Harry and Ginny danced nearby, even though he wasn't feeling up to it. So they had quickly devised a plan, allowing her to signal them when she felt that Draco was nearing the end of his strength. As planned, Lucius and Narcissa joined them on the dance floor, followed by her own parents and the Weasleys. Soon other couples were joining them as well and she was able to lead Draco off the dance floor.

As soon as they were away from the other dancers, Draco's house elf, Bitsy, appeared, handing him the cane. He took it with a grateful nod and allowed Astoria to lead him out of the ballroom and into his father's study, where he collapsed into one of the large leather chairs. "I'm sorry, Astoria," he said softly.

She took a seat on the ottoman in front of him and gently grabbed his hand. "You've been quite ill, Draco. You shouldn't have tried to dance."

"I did it for you, my dear," he replied. "I didn't want you to look back on our wedding and think it anything less than perfect."

"You didn't have to. I didn't ask you to. I would have been fine without the traditional first dance."

He sighed. "I wanted it for you."

She lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "Thank you, darling." She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Your parents suggested that we spend four weeks at the villa in France instead of two. I told them that we would."

"That won't leave us much time to find you a house before I have to be at Hogwarts," he told her.

"We'll just take our time finding the perfect house," she replied. "What's more important is getting you ready to teach Potions to all those little dunderheads."

He managed a weak smile. "You've been talking to Sev."

"I have. But I also know what we were like as students."

"I don't deserve you, Astoria..."

"Draco..."

"I shouldn't have demanded the ancient marriage contract. If I hadn't then you would have been able to break the contract and marry who you wanted."

She huffed. "I thought we agreed not to discuss it again."

"But..."

"Drop it, Draco!" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "I knew what I was getting into when I signed the contract. If I didn't want it, I wouldn't have signed it. I...I've had a crush on you since first year. And as much as I pretended I didn't want the contract, I really did."

"Astoria…" he started.

"Just say that you'll stay for the month and rest."

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "That might be best," he replied with a quiet sigh. "I wouldn't want our families to know that we're already arguing before we've even been married for a full hour."

"We wouldn't be arguing if you weren't such an arse."

Draco stared at her for a moment before reaching out and caressing her cheek. "I don't love you the way you deserve, Astoria. I've been trying but…I wish I could," he said sadly. He knew that he should have told her before and had planned on telling her before the wedding, but then he had fallen ill and according to his Healer, he had nearly died. "I'm so sorry…"

She leaned forward and placed a finger over his lips. "Shh. I've known for a long time." He started to speak, but she silenced him with a look. "And I know who."

"How?"

"I…I think I've known since your third year. I was there the night when she punched you."

"I didn't see you..."

"Most people didn't see me until my sixth year. All they saw was my sister."

He gave her hand a gentle tug until she stood up before pulling her down to sit on his lap. She shifted to take her weight off his bad knee and rested her head on his shoulder. Draco pulled her close and leaned his cheek against the top of her head, simply holding her.

* * *

As soon as Harry and Ginny finished their first dance, Arthur took his daughter back out onto the dance floor, while Harry found his three-year-old godson tangled in his legs. He lifted the little boy, wearing a smaller version of Harry's dress robes, into his arms and settling him on his hip. The tiny Metamorphmagus had been clinging to his godfather every chance he could the last few weeks. He had even kept his appearance matching Harry's that whole time and had been unusually quiet as well. Harry kissed the top of his head and carried him off to the refreshment table to get them a plate of food to share.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said, joining them. "He ran away from Aunt Andy and she just couldn't keep up with him."

"It's alright, Mione," he replied, finding them to chairs. He put Teddy on his lap and let the little boy nibble on the food that the elves had prepared. "He's been rather clingly and I'm surprised Aunt Andy was able to keep him away as long as she did. I was half expecting him to come wrap himself around my leg during the ceremony."

"I good, Harry," Teddy whispered, tugging on his godfather's robes.

Harry smiled down at the boy. "Yes, Teddy Bear, you were very good. I'm proud of you." Teddy gave a little smile and then went back to his food.

"What are you going to do when school starts?" Hermione asked, running her fingers through Teddy's hair.

He sighed. "I'm going to rent a cottage in Hogsmeade for them near Camille and the kids. That way I can slip over there a couple times a week. Sev also said that he would arrange my quarters to be connected to the Floo Network, but with a password." He paused and looked over at his mother's older sister. "She really doesn't look good."

"I don't think she's doing very well lately. She should probably see a Healer," Hermione told him.

He nodded. "I'll try to talk her into going when we get back. And I'll mention it to Mother as well." Harry glanced at his best friend. "How are you doing, Mi? And I want an honest answer."

She looked out at the couples on the dance floor. "You shouldn't be worrying about me on your wedding day, Harry."

"I worry about you every day," he told her, taking her hand.

"I…I miss him," she sighed. "I wasn't in love with Ron, but I did love him. Libby's like him in so many ways…and not just her looks."

"She does have his personality," he agreed. "Mi…even though Gin and I are married now, our door will always be open to you and Libby."

"I know, Harry," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. He put his free arm around her, offering her what comfort he could. "You two and Molly and Arthur…even your family has been such a big help the last couple years. But I think it's time to try to manage on my own as much as I can."

She stood quickly, and took Teddy from Harry's lap before either had a chance to respond. "Come on, Teddy. Let's go dance so that Uncle Harry can dance with Aunt Ginny." Hermione turned and walked back toward the dance floor. Teddy didn't protest, but watched his beloved godfather over her shoulder as she took him away.


	9. Chapter 8

Harry and Ginny had spent two wonderful romantic weeks in Capri before returning home to set up housekeeping at Potter House. They had spent the next two weeks remodeling the master suite of Potter House to their needs, as Harry had been sharing the suite with Draco before. They even arranged a suite nearby for Draco and Astoria for when the whole family stayed with them again. Harry's youngest siblings had grown up in Potter House and the last thing that he wanted was to take away the first home they had known, so he had promised them that they could spend part of their summers at Potter House with him and Ginny. Ginny was thrilled to finally have younger siblings and was looking forward to the next summer almost as much as they were.

They planned to spend three days at Malfoy Manor for Harry and Draco's birthday and would return to Potter House for another two weeks before going to settle into their new Hogwarts quarters. In addition to teaching Defense, Harry would be splitting Head of House duties with Hermione for Gryffindor and Draco for Slytherin. Harry had been quite honored and speechless when Severus and Minerva had approached him with the offer. At first he hadn't been too sure about the idea, but they had convinced him that he was perfect for the job…and many of the Slytherins had come to trust him when he had stayed with them during his final year at Hogwarts. They said that it would go a long way to continue healing the rift between the two houses.

The castle had outdone herself in providing quarters for the new Defense master and his bride. Not only was there a door to the outside hall, but there were also connecting doors to Harry's office as well as both the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. Besides the master suite, there was a kitchen in case they decided to cook some of their own meals and a private study for Harry.

Harry had noticed that Reg seemed quiet and withdrawn during their visit, and woke him up early on their last morning for an early morning flight. "What's wrong, Reg?" Harry asked his brother as they walked back to the house. They had flown all over the grounds and then decided to walk for a while so that they can talk.

The younger boy sighed. "I…I'm not sure I want to go to Hogwarts."

"Why not?" he asked, shifting his broom to his other hand and putting his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"I'm worried about what House I'll be in," he answered. "What if I'm not in Slytherin? Father will be disappointed…"

Harry stopped and knelt down in front of his brother. "What House was I in?"

"Gryffindor," the boy answered quietly.

"And what about Rory?"

"Ravenclaw."

"Was he disappointed in either of us?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair off his brother's brow.

"No. But…but you defeated Voldemort and Rory's just bloody brilliant…"

Harry bit back a smile. "Language, Reg."

The younger boy made a face at his brother. "You and Draco say it."

"We're also of age, kiddo. Now…it doesn't matter what House you get sorted into in a few weeks, Father will still love you. We all will. So don't worry, alright?"

"Alright. I'll try." Reg hesitated a moment before speaking again. "Can I still come see you at school?"

"Of course. Whenever you need me."

Reg leaned against his older brother, who hugged him close before Apparating them back to the house.

A tiny hand on his shoulder, brought Harry out of a deep sleep. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see Kreacher standing beside the bed. "What's wrong, Kreacher?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake Ginny.

"You is needed at the cottage, Master Harry," the ancient elf replied.

He eased away from Ginny and summoned his clothes. "Teddy? Aunt Andy?"

"It be Mistress Andy," Kreacher told him. "I be telling Winky to be getting Mistress Cissy." It had taken some convincing, but Harry had convinced Winky to sober up and work at the cottage serving Andy and Teddy.

"Is Teddy still sleeping?"

"Yes, Master Harry."

Harry glanced at Ginny before following Kreacher to the Floo, silently thanking Severus for allowing them to connect their Floo at Hogwarts to the one at the cottage he had purchased for Andy and Teddy. Normally the only outside Floo connection at Hogwarts was the one in the Headmaster's office, for very obvious safety reasons.

He Flooed to the cottage and started down the hall to his aunt's room, but Kreacher grabbed his robe. Harry looked down at the little elf.

"Nothing to be doing for Mistress Andy now, Master Harry," he said quietly. "Best be seeing to Master Teddy."

Harry stared toward his aunt's room for another moment as Kreacher's words sank in. His aunt had died peacefully in her sleep. Taking a deep breath, he turned and went into Teddy's room instead. He moved over to the little boy's bed and knelt on the floor, reaching a hand out to stroke the boy's sandy brown hair. It was only when he slept that Teddy took on his father's features, and tonight it just made Harry miss Remus even more.

"Harry..."

He turned to see his father standing in the doorway and he stood, moving closer to the older man, who embraced him as soon as he was within reach. Harry leaned into the older man's strength for a moment before straightening. "What do we need to do?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake Teddy.

"Your mother and I will take care of things here. Why don't you take Teddy back to Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded and moved back over to the three-year-old, gently lifting him into his arms, blanket and all. For a brief moment he considered Flooing back to the school, but then decided to walk instead. Teddy wasn't that heavy and he could use the time to think...and time to prepare himself to tell his brother.

"Is that Aunt Andy?" Scorpius asked, pointing to a photograph in the album on his grandfather's knee.

"Yes," Lucius answered. "That's your grandmother and Aunt Andy. That picture was taken just two weeks before she died at the first end of summer picnic that we held here at Malfoy Manor."

"She was very pretty," Marcella said, leaning against her grandfather's shoulder.

"That she was," he replied. "You are named after her, sweetheart. Marcella Andromeda Malfoy…" He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her blond hair.

"Is that Aunt Cissy's photo album?" Teddy asked, entering the room with Gabriel Snape and Libby and Weasley.

"Yes."

"Have you shown them the picture of Uncle Harry looking like Robin Hood yet?" he asked as the older three children gathered around.

Lucius chuckled and turned the page.

**AN: Calling all artists! I'm looking for someone who can draw a scene from this story. If anyone is interested please let me know.**

**Also, be on the lookout this week for a one-shot called "The Wolf's Dragon Pup". It's part of the "Apothecary Knows Best" universe that I have created with Snapegirlkmf.**


	10. Chapter 9

A week before school was to start, Severus called Harry, Draco and Hermione into his office. While the three met with the Headmaster, Ginny took Teddy and Libby out to the stables where her brother Charlie had a kneazle that had just had kittens a week before.

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Hermione asked as the three new professors took seats opposite the Headmaster's desk.

"I did, Hermione," he replied, waving his hand. A package hovered in the air in front of the three younger adults. "I was quite impressed with the grades that all three of you earned at University and as a reward, wanted to present you with your first set of teacher's robes."

Hermione looked at Harry and Draco and at their nods, opened her parcel. She stood, holding the new robes up in front of her. "They are beautiful, sir. Thank you."

"You are most welcome. There are no traditional robes for a Muggle Studies professor, so I had Camille and Narcissa pick something out that they thought would suit."

"Thank you again, sir."

Draco opened his next. His robes looked like those that the Headmaster had worn during his tenure as Potions Professor; form fitting at the top, but flowing at the bottom. This allowed him to work on potions without having to worry about his sleeves getting in the way. Draco's robes were a steel grey that matched his eyes. "Thank you, Sev."

"You're welcome. Harry?"

After a moment of hesitation, Harry opened his parcel. Inside was a pair of brown breeches, a tan shirt, a green tunic and a cloak that was green on the outside with brown lining. "I'll look like..."

"Robin Hood," Hermione finished for him with a giggle.

"That was the intention," Severus told them. "Robin of Loxley was the first wizard ever named Defense Master. Since that time, Defense Masters' robes have traditionally been modeled after the type of clothing he wore...though it has been many years since they have been worn. The traditional robes of most masteries have been thrown by the wayside. I thought that the two of you might like to bring the use of Masters robes back into practice."

Harry exchanged a glance with his twin. "I think we can manage that."

Severus nodded and gave them a mock glare. "I expect to see you all in your new robes for the Welcoming Feast."

TDTDTDTDTD

One thing that Minerva McGonagall had started when she became Headmistress was to allow the families of the staff to eat at the Head Table for any meal that they chose to do so. Severus had brought his family up to the castle for special occasions such as the Welcoming Feast and other holiday feasts throughout the year. This year Severus would be eating breakfast and lunch in his quarters with his family and dinner in the Great Hall. He had given his other professors the option of eating the first two meals of the day in their quarters, but said that he preferred for the staff to eat with the student body at the end of the day. Whether their families joined them for these meals would be up to the individual families.

On the day of the Welcoming Feast, the four new professors arrived in the Great Hall early. Neville was nervous about starting classes the next morning, but not near as nervous as he had been before Potions classes as a student. Ginny was away with the Holihead Harpies, so it was just Harry and Teddy who made their way into the Great Hall. The day after Andromeda's funeral, Harry had gone to the Ministry in order to file adoption papers for Teddy and they had just gotten the final approval that very afternoon.

Hermione and Libby followed them up to the Head Table, with Libby wearing a much smaller version of Hermione's pale green robes. At Harry's glance, Hermione rolled her eyes. "Minerva," was all she said, though it was said with a smile. She claimed the chair next to Harry and put Libby in the chair on her other side, raising it up so that the toddler could reach the table.

Harry put Teddy in a similar chair, knowing that Draco would claim the one on the other side. Draco and Astoria reached the Head Table just as the other staff members started trickling into the room. Draco pulled out Astoria's chair before reaching over to tickle Teddy, whose hair was a shocking electric blue. "Have you figured out how he controls it yet?" Draco asked Harry.

"Not yet," Harry replied. "But we're careful not to go anywhere there would be too many Muggles. Or if we do need to go into the Muggle world, he just wears a hat, right Teddy?"

"Right," Teddy said with a firm nod, grinning up at his godfather's twin brother.

Draco ruffled his hair as he sat down. "So, what house do you think Reg will go into?"

"Hufflepuff," Harry and Hermione replied at the same time.

"Slytherin," Draco retorted. "It's family tradition after all. And he is named after a Slytherin."

"Using that logic, he could also be a Gryffindor," Neville piped up as the returning students entered the Great Hall.

"Never," Draco said firmly.

"Keep an eye on Teddy for me," Harry told Draco, standing and slipping out of the room.

Reg stood in the Entrance Hall with the other first years, nervously twisting the sleeves of his robe. Harry had been with him when he talked to Father and Father had assured him that it didn't matter what House he was sorted into, they would still love him. Father had told him the same thing again this morning before he boarded the Hogwarts Express. He'd never had really met any children his own age before because he and his sisters had been in hiding. And even the last three years had been spent with just his family as his parents were still trying to protect their family. On the train to Hogwarts, he'd spent the entire ride sitting with Aurora and her friends, who didn't seem to mind his presence with them.

The other students around him began to stir and he heard Harry's name being whispered. Looking up, he saw Harry walking toward them. Reg smiled at his brother, feeling much better just at the sight of him.

Harry returned the smile and knelt down in front of his brother. "Hey, kiddo," he said, reaching out to straighten the black tie that Reg wore, not sure whether the boy would want the hug that he usually claimed upon seeing Harry with all the other students around. "How was the train ride?"

"Long," Reg replied. "When are we going to be Sorted? I'm hungry."

Harry chuckled. "In just a minute, Reg. Just remember to keep your head up and the Sorting Hat will give you a choice, if you want it. But I think you should let it make the decision. It usually knows best."

"Can I give you a hug?" Reg whispered quietly.

"Anytime you want," Harry replied just as quietly and a moment later found himself with his little brother in his arms.

Minerva McGonagall returned to the Entrance Hall to escort the first years into the Great Hall just in time to see Harry embrace his younger brother. Through she would never admit it, she had a soft spot in her heart for Harry and was quite proud of how he had turned out. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Potter."

Harry looked up at her as his brother stepped back. "Yes, Professor?"

"May I take the first years into the Great Hall to be Sorted?" she asked with a smirk.

Grinning, he stood, ruffling his brother's hair. "Of course, Professor." He turned and winked at the giggling first years, before heading back into the Great Hall and joining his family at the Head Table.

They waited anxiously for Reg to be Sorted and when the Sorting Hat was finally placed on Reg's head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Reg slid off the stool and turned to look at his brothers, who both gave him encouraging smiles and nods. A glance at the Ravenclaw table allowed him to see that Aurora was smiling too, so he smiled as well and made his way to the Hufflepuff table. He was just a little too nervous to see what his godfather, Headmaster Severus Snape thought, but as long as his siblings were alright with him being in Hufflepuff, then he would be happy about it too.


	11. Chapter 10

"Where you upset that Uncle Reg was a Hufflepuff?" Terezah asked her grandfather.

He leaned over and kissed her brow. "Of course not, dear. There is nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs. They are very hard working, loyal and fair. All of which your Uncle Reg is…and it's because of those characteristics that he will be a great wandmaker someday."

"Think he'll make our wands when it's time for us to go to Hogwarts?" Romulus asked.

"It's possible. But it's the wand that chooses the witch or wizard," he told him. "Did you know that your father's wand had a brother? That brother is the wand that gave him the scar on his forehead. Do you know what the core is?"

Teddy answered, "A phoenix feather…from Fawkes."

"That's right, Teddy," Lucius replied. "Fawkes only ever gave two feathers to be used as wand cores."

Scorpi tugged on his robe. "More story."

Lucius chuckled. "Alright. More story," he said, turning the page of the photo album. The next page was a picture of Draco stalking around a classroom of students hovering over their cauldrons.

TDTDTDTDTD

Draco let himself into his quarters and in an uncharacteristic move, threw himself back on the sofa. He pulled a pillow over his face. "I don't see how Sev did it for so many years."

"That bad?" Astoria asked, looking up from the letter she was writing.

His only response was to groan.

"How many cauldrons exploded?"

"Ten!"

"You only had three classes today," she replied, standing and moving over to the sofa. She nudged him over and then sat beside him.

He lifted the pillow long enough to give her a look. "Three double periods: third and fifth Gryffindor and Slytherins and fourth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs."

"I guess you understand why Severus was so strict on us." She reached out and begin to unbutton his robes. When he started to say something she pinned him with a look. "Later…if you don't say what you are thinking." He nodded with a smirk and let her finish unbuttoning his robes and shirt.

When she finished, he slipped off the robes and shirt before rolling over, allowing her access to his back. "Muggleborns, half-bloods or purebloods?" she asked as she began to massage his back.

"All three. I was talking to Harry and Hermione at lunch and they suggested teaching basic ingredient preparation and potions theory to first years and not even really start after the winter holidays. They both said they knew nothing of Potions when they came here, except for Hermione and what she had read."

Astoria was silently for a few minutes as she worked on a particularly difficult knot in his back. "I suppose that makes sense. Muggleborns don't even learn about our world until their eleventh birthday, so they wouldn't have had the opportunity that most purebloods would have from tutors."

"And not all purebloods had tutors. Longbottom told me that his family taught him, but none of them thought to teach him the basics. Then he got here and Severus expected his students to know everything already." He told her. "Not that I blame him. The man's a bloody genius when it comes to Potions. It's all natural to him…he doesn't really even have to stop and think about it."

"Have you talked to him about it yet?" she asked.

"Not yet. I thought I might come up with a sample lesson plan before I approach him with the idea. I mean, I'm still using the lesson plans that he wrote when he first started teaching here."

"I'm not great at Potions, but I'll do what I can to help you."

"I appreciate it. We'll start tonight."

TDTDTDTDTD

A week later Draco sat in the Headmaster's office, trying not to let his nervousness show as he waited for Severus to read over the lesson plans that he and Astoria had put together for a revised Potions curriculum. Katie, who had been playing quietly in the corner of the office when he entered, had come over at some point and was now sitting in his lap telling him all about the little school she attended in Hogsmeade.

He kissed the top of her dark head when his noticed her father look up from the parchments in his hand. "That's good, Katie-bug. But your daddy and I need to talk for a little while, alright?"

She nodded and moved back over to the little table that had been set up in the corner of the Headmaster's office for her and her little brother.

Draco turned back to his godfather and employer. "Well? What do you think, Sev?"

Severus put the parchments on his desk. "I can honestly say that I had never given it any thought before, Draco. But you do have a good point. Longbottom probably would not have exploded as many cauldrons if I had actually thought through my lessons instead of just assuming that potions came naturally to everyone. When would you like to implement this?"

"Right away," Draco replied. He hadn't expected it to be this easy! "I'd actually like to spend a couple weeks going over basic preparation and theory with all of my classes. I'm really hoping that it will help cut down on the number of exploding and melting cauldrons." He paused and shook his head. "I don't know how you managed for so long, Sev."

"I'm honestly not sure myself," he told his godson. "How are things going, Draco? I'm sorry that I haven't had very much time for you lately."

Draco gave him a small smile. "I understand, Sev. Things…things are getting better for us. She actually helped me pull all of this together." He sighed. "It's hard sometimes, Sev. I…I want to love her. And I know I could if I would just let go of Hermione…but I can't seem to completely let go of her."

"You need to, Draco," Severus replied. "It's not fair to Astoria if you don't."

"I know," Draco sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Believe me, I know."

"Try courting her as you should have from the beginning. It could only help."

He nodded. "I'll give that a try."


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: Sorry for the delay between chapters. My job officially ended in mid-December, but I've had a crazy few weeks since then. I'm back now and hopefully will be able to update more frequently.**

Things changed at Hogwarts the year after the defeat of Voldemort. The gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmistress' office was repaired, but left open so that any student who had need to talk to her could have access without needing the password. When Minerva and Severus switched roles this year, he decided to keep the same policy, knowing what it felt like to feel like you had no one to turn to.

It was because of this policy that he was not surprised to hear a knock on his door as he was grading seventh-year Potions essays. "Enter," he called, thinking it was a student.

The door opened and Lucius Malfoy stuck his head inside. "Got a minute?"

Severus looked up from his work. "Of course. Come on in," he said, setting aside the essay he had been grading. "You could have come through the Floo."

Lucius stepped into the room and took a seat across from the man he considered his younger brother. "I needed the walk...to try and clear my head."

"Is everything alright, Lucius?" Severus asked before calling a house elf to bring them some tea.

"Cissy and I are worried about Reg," he replied. "Have you noticed that he's changed, Sev? He's not as...lively as he used to be."

Severus nodded. "I had noticed that he had changed, but it wasn't all that unusual for that to happen. Think about it, Luc. He spent the first eight years of his life in hiding only getting to see you, Cissy and Draco a couple times a year. Then all of a sudden his world was turned upside down. He had an older brother he had never met...a famous older brother. He thought I was dead, but only a couple days after finding out that I wasn't, you, Draco and I were arrested and sent to Azkaban before receiving a highly publicized trial. Once we got back, everyone was worried about Draco's health. Then Harry, Draco and Aurora went off to Hogwarts and he was living with you permanently without Harry, who he had become quite close to. I've suspected for a while now that the Regulus we know now is the real Reg. Between Draco being the oldest and actually able to live with you and Cissy, Aurora's brilliance and Liliana being the youngest, he felt a little lost, Lucius. His...liveliness as you put it, was just a way to get some attention. I think Harry was the first one who really saw him for who he truly was."

Lucius sighed deeply as he considered his best friend's words. "Cissy and I never stopped to consider what leaving them in hiding was doing to them...we just thought about their protection."

"It's easy to look back and see how things could have been done differently, Luc."

"How's he doing?" Lucius asked. "Is he adjusting alright?"

"He's doing well," Severus replied. "He's making friends. Reg's not the best student, but he's getting by. Harry, Draco and I are making sure to spend at least a few minutes with him each week outside the classroom. He spends Friday evenings playing with Harry and Teddy and takes lunch with us on Sundays...and I think he and Draco go flying or walk around the lake."

"Is Draco's leg still bothering him?"

"Some days. He says that the exercise helps as long as he doesn't push himself too far."

"And Harry?"

"He's adjusting to his new roles well. He's a born teacher...and he's doing a great job with Teddy. And he treats the Slytherins and Gryffindors equally fair. They have quite a system worked out with sharing the Head of House duties. If the situation involves a student of just one of the two houses, usually Hermione or Draco will take care of it. But if the situation involves students from both houses, then Harry deals with it to ensure equal and fair treatment...and it's working. I've never seen the Slytherins and Gryffindors fight less."

"Aurora?"

"Is at the top of her class...in all of her classes, of course. The child is never without a book. We've finally had to give her enforced time away from the books. The child is actually tutoring one of the Diggory cousins in Runes for his O.W.L.s and he's two years ahead of her. Your two older sons and Hermione are already betting on how many O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s she gets."

Lucius nodded. "Now that I've found out how my children are doing, how are yours?"

Severus chuckled. "Katie is enjoying the little day school in Hogsmeade. She had a little bit of a rough start because of her Sight, but we're working on it. We're teaching her to write down or draw a picture of what she sees and not tell anyone. Then at night we go over her journal together. And she's already well on her way to learning Occlumency. She's a little young, but she needs it and I think she's mature enough to handle it."

"And my namesake?"

"Gabriel is two and into everything...and already showing signs of accidental magic. Camille watches Libby and Teddy while Hermione and Harry teach and those two and Gabriel are already thick as thieves."

Lucius looked around the office. "Whatever happened to Dumbledore's Phoenix?

"He's down in Harry's office," Severus replied. "He and Harry haven't bonded, but the blasted bird went and made himself at home down there one day. Harry doesn't seem to mind so we just left him there."

Lucius nodded. "What of my daughters-in-law? How are they adjusting to life in the castle as non-students?"

"Astoria is restless, I think, but she has been helping Draco re-write the entire Potions curriculum. Ginny has been off with the Harpies. From what my students tell me, they have a good chance to being the winners for the English Quidditch Cup and some of them may even be asked to play on the English National Team."

Lucius glanced at the clock. "I didn't realize how late it was getting. I best say a quick hello to my children and get home or Cissy will be wondering what happened. Good day, Sev."

MFAMFAMFAMFA

Harry rubbed the back of his neck and he crossed the main room of his quarters, going from his office toward the short hall where the two bedrooms were located. Normally he put Teddy to bed every night, but Ginny had offered to put their three-and-a half-year-old adopted son to bed while Harry finished grading end of term exams for his classes. He stopped when he noticed a faint light on in Teddy's room. They had charmed the small lamp beside the bed to come on whenever Teddy woke up. He leaned against the doorframe, watching his godson look through the photo album they had put together for him. They hadn't had many pictures of Remus and Tonks, so they had filled the rest of the album with pictures of their friends and family. "Hey Teddy-bear," he said, moving to sit beside the boy.

"Hello," Teddy replied, not looking up.

"You should be asleep..."

Teddy nodded.

Harry lifted the three-and-a half-year-old into his lap and turned to the beginning of the album. "Who is this?"

"Daddy Moony and Mummy Tonks," Teddy said, snuggling into Harry's arms. He liked it when they looked at the pictures together.

"That's right, little man," Harry told him, turning the page.

"Daddy Moony, P'ongs, Lily and Padfoot."

Harry smiled down at the photo sadly. It was a picture from his parents' wedding. He was glad that Wormtail had missed that event. He turned the page to a picture of his own wedding.

"Daddy Harry, Mummy Ginny, Auntie 'Storia and Uncle D'aco." Teddy had only just started referring to them as 'Mummy' and 'Daddy' a few weeks before. And it had been the tiny boy's idea. He turned the page. "Auntie Mione and Libby." He kept turning pages. "Uncle George, Aun'gelina and Freddie."

Harry chuckled. He loved the names that Teddy had come up with for some of their friends and family.

"Grandfadder Luc, Grandmudder Cissy, Aunt Rory, Uncle Reg and Aunt Lily. Uncle Sev, Auntie Cam, Katie and Gabe. Uncle Bill, Aunt F'our and Tori. Uncle Charlie and Norbe't. Grandmum Molly and Granddad Arfer. Uncle Percy," he said, making a face and quickly turning the page. "Mr. O'vander."

"Teddy," Harry said after several minutes of listening to the boy prattle. "You know you're a special little boy, right?" Teddy nodded staring carefully at a picture of himself and Libby as babies. "Do you know why?" The little boy shook his head. "Your Daddy Moony and Mummy Tonks loved you very much. So much that they asked me to take care of you if anything bad happened to them."

Teddy just nodded and closed the photo album and snuggled into Harry's chest. He and Daddy Harry had talked about this before. "Stay with Daddy Harry and Mummy Ginny now?"

"Yes," Harry said, kissing the top of his head. "You live with us now and we love you very much."

"Love you too."

"Do you want to know a secret?"

Teddy giggled and nodded.

"You are going to be a big brother," Harry told him. They had only just found out last week and we planning to tell their families at the upcoming holidays. Madame Pomfrey had cleared Ginny to keep playing until the holiday break so that they could surprise their families and then release a formal statement saying that she would be back after the baby was born. She would continue to attend practices and travel with the team, but she wouldn't be playing.

"Big brudder?" Teddy asked.

"That's right. Mummy Ginny is going to have a baby right after Teddy turns four."


	13. Chapter 12

Harry stood in the doorway of the sitting room at Grimmauld Place, watching his family interact. As had become their tradition, the Malfoys spent the Christmas holidays at Grimmauld Place, with the Weasley, Snape and Greengrass families joining them for Christmas Day. There were thirty people in the house besides himself and he loved it. It was something he had dreamed about while growing up with the Dursleys.

Teddy, Libby and Gabriel were playing in one corner with Victoire Weasley, whom everyone called Tori, much to Fleur's disgust. George was on the floor with his son Freddie, who was rarely far from his father's side, and Sage Zabini, Daphne and Blaise's son. Charlie was talking animatedly to Bill and Draco and Blaise were having a quiet conversation with Delia Zabini snuggled contentedly in her father's arms.

The four older men, Arthur, Lucius, Severus and Sebastian Greengrass, were near the hearth chatting quietly amidst the noise of the large crowd. It still made Harry smile to see Arthur and Lucius getting along so well. Katie sat in her father's lap, leaning back against his chest. Large groups of people were hard on the young Seer, so she tended to stay close to her father who could help her keep the Sight at bay by Occluding for her. Not many people could Occlude for other people, but Severus could do so for his daughter as long as they were touching.

After hearing the news of Ginny's pregnancy, the women had all gathered in one corner and had become the largest and loudest part of the group. Narcissa and Molly had been quite thrilled at the news. Narcissa at the prospect of her first grandchild and Molly at the prospect of another one.

Harry looked down when his brother Regulus leaned against his side. He put his arm around the boy, holding him close. "It's kinda loud, isn't it?" he asked.

Reg just nodded. "Yeah. And there's no one else my age."

"Would you like to come with me to look at the family tree?"

"To tell Sirius and Remus 'Happy Christmas'?" Reg asked, looking up at his older brother.

Harry smiled. "You know me well. Come on," he said, leading his brother down the hall to the drawing room where the family tree of the Ancient and Noble House of Black was kept. Once he had found out that his mother could not only repair the tapestry, but add to it, he had asked her to add the names of James and Lily Potter and their son who had died at birth. She had gone even further to add self-updating charms to the tapestry, saying that they had once been on the tapestry, but had been removed, possibly by Walburga at some point before the birth of Sirius.

He moved quietly through the room, touching gently the place on the tapestry belonging to the Potter family, whose memory he still honored, by keeping their name. He rested his hand briefly on Sirius and Regulus's names before moving on to Andromeda, Ted, Dora and finally Remus. "Teddy's getting so big, Remus. I really wish you were here to watch him grow...I hope I'm raising him the way you want."

Harry stood there another moment before moving on to his own family. When he had first seen the tapestry only Draco's name had been listed under Lucius and Narcissa. Now that he knew the truth, he was glad that Walburga had taken the self-updating charms off of the tapestry, because at fifteen, he wouldn't have been able to handle the news that he was really a Malfoy and not a Potter.

He traced the double gold line extend between his name and Ginny's with a smile. It had been nearly six months, but the fact that he was married still took him by surprise most days. And in just a few months he was going to be a father!

As he glanced at the tapestry again, he noticed something that hadn't been there when he had looked at it just before heading to Hogwart's. This summer there had only been the line connecting his and Ginny's names. Now there was a faint line extending down from it to two faint circles below. He turned to his brother. "Can you run ask Uncle Sev and Katie to come here for a moment?"

Reg nodded and left the room, returning a moment later with Katie and his godfather.

Harry motioned his goddaughter over to him as he knelt down, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. "Katie-bug...do you remember how you said that Aunt Ginny and I were going to have a little boy and a little girl?" Katie just nodded. She had Seen that right after her brother had been born. "Are they going to be twins? Like Draco and I are?"

Katie looked up at her father, silently asked permission to tell her godfather what she had Seen. After getting a nod in return, she turned back to Harry and whispered. "Yes. They will be twins."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Harry said, kissing her brow. He turned her toward the tapestry. "Look. The tapestry already knows too."

Severus chuckled. "Congratulations. Again."

Harry just grinned up at him. "Thanks." It was as he was turning to look at the tapestry again that he noticed something under Draco's name. Taking a closer look he realized that there was a faint line and a single circle below his twin's name. He looked back up at Severus. "It looks like Draco and Astoria have some news of their own. Oh...I have got a great idea. Where's Lily?"

MFAMFAMFA

Half an hour later they were all back in the sitting room again and Harry gave his youngest sister a little nod. They hadn't explained everything to her, but they had told her that they needed her to ask Draco a question when they gave her the signal.

She nodded back and walked over to Draco, tugging lightly on his robes to get his attention.

"Yes, princess?" he asked the small blond.

"Are you going to be a daddy like Harry?" she asked as innocently as possible.

The room fell silent as he quickly looked around before answering. "I'm sure I will be one day."

"Draco," Astoria whispered.

He turned to look at her. "Are you..."

She nodded. "I found out last week and was trying to find the right time to tell you..."

He crossed the room in a few easy steps. "Really?" he asked, his eyes shining.

"Really."

He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around once before kissing her soundly. Draco ignored the whistles and catcalls coming from Blaise and the Weasley brothers. "We really are?" he asked again, still holding her close.

"We really are," she replied with a nod. "Just before school starts again in August."

His only response was to kiss her again.


	14. Chapter 13

**AN: I'm an idiot and have been misspelling Harry's daughter's name. It should be spelled TIRZAH. I'll go back and correct the previous chapters soon.**

**A few people have asked for a list of characters, and I'm finally putting that together. This list is for the "present day" portions of the fic where Lucius is interacting with his grandchildren.**

**Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy have five children: Draco, Harry, Aurora, Regulus and Liliana.**

**Draco married Astoria Greengrass and they have three children: Marcella Andromeda, Scorpius Abraxsas, and Phineas Peverell. Draco teaches Potions at Hogwarts and shares Head of House duties for Slytherin with his twin brother Harry.**

**Harry married Ginny Weasley and they have two children: Romulus James and Tirzah Lily. Harry teaches Defense at Hogwarts and splits Head of House duties for both Syltherin (with Draco) and Gryffindor (with Hermione). Harry and Ginny adopted Teddy Lupin after the death of Andromeda.**

**Aurora graduated with twelve N.E.W.T.S. After graduation, she married a cousin of Cedric Diggory. They have one son and another child on the way. She works from home updating and rewriting text books for magical schools around the world.**

**Regulus has just finished his first year of apprenticeship under the wandmaker, Ollivander. He is dating Katie Snape and they are planning to marry as soon as she graduates from Hogwarts.**

**Liliana will be starting her seventh year at Hogwarts as Head Girl. As a first year, she was sorted into "Slythindor." She was given a bed in both Gryffindor and Slytherin.**

**After Voldemort was defeated, Severus Snape reunited with his wife Camille and their daughter Katie. They had a son, Gabriel, on the one year anniversary of the Final Battle. Katie is a sixth year student at Hogwarts and a Seer. Severus returned to Hogwarts, teaching sixth and seventh year Potions and Defense and also serving as Deputy Headmaster. After three years, he once again stepped up as Headmaster, though he continued teaching his classes for a couple years until Harry and Draco adjusted to teaching.**

**Hermione and Ron had one child, Olivia Elizabeth "Libby", before his death during an ambush of an Auror training exercise. Hermione returned to Hogwarts to teach and shares Head of House duties for Gryffindor with Harry. Originally she had planned to teach Transfiguration, but decided that she wanted to teach Muggle Studies instead, as they had not found anyone to replace Charity Burbage, who was killed during the war. She also teaches a class for first year muggleborn students to help them adapt to the Wizarding World.**

**Hope this helps keep the important characters straight.**

**MFAMFAMFA**

It was a warm summer day and Harry, Ginny, Draco, Astoria and Teddy were spending the early evening in the small gazebo that Harry had had built on the edge of the lake at Potter House. Teddy sat on the floor playing with Draco's chinchilla while the adults sat on the wicker furniture nearby. Ginny was stretched out with her head in Harry's lap. She was in the last couple weeks of her pregnancy and had been having a difficult time with it. Harry smiled down at her, running his fingers through her hair.

Astoria smiled at them as she snuggled back into her husband's arms. Her pregnancy had brought them much closer together and she could easily admit that she loved him, though she had yet to actually tell him.

Draco kissed the back of her head, one of his hands resting on the bulge where their child rested. He had been fascinated by her pregnancy and their growing child and had spent hours with his hand where it was now, just waiting to feel their unborn child move. He had thought her beautiful before, but considered her even more beautiful now.

"Enough," Ginny said, interrupting the conversation Harry and Draco were having about some of the problems they had encountered in Slytherin House the previous year. She shifted on the sofa, trying to find a more comfortable position. She didn't know how her mother and Narcissa had done this so many times. "No more talk about Hogwarts. Let's just enjoy the quiet evening."

"Have you two settled on names yet?" Astoria asked, changing the subject. Ever since Christmas both couples had been receiving name suggestions from friends and strangers alike, but neither couple had announced their decisions yet.

Ginny found Harry's free hand, even with her eyes closed and squeezed it gently. "We wanted to use the grandparents names as middle names, but we have three sets to choose from. We went back and forth for a while before deciding that two sets of those grandparents would have other grandchildren. So we're using James and Lily as the middle names."

"Teddy's middle name is Remus," Harry added. "And I kind of like the idea of having a Remus and Romulus, even if they aren't twins."

"Romulus James Potter," Draco said, sounding out the name. "It's a good, strong name."

Astoria nodded in agreement. "What about a first name for your daughter?"

"We had a lot of suggestions for that," Harry said with a chuckle. "So we started keeping a list of the names that we liked. Then we looked up the meanings. I'm not sure if it was Hermione or Camille that suggested it, but we decided on Tirzah.

"That's pretty," Astoria replied. "What does it mean?"

"She is my delight," Harry answered.

"What about you two?" Ginny asked, shifting again.

"Draco told me from the beginning that he had promised Harry that he would name his firstborn son Scorpius Abraxsas Malfoy," Astoria told her. "Not sure why."

"That was my birth name," Harry explained. "Draco, I'm honored, but you don't have to do that."

Draco waved him off. "I want to, so stop fussing. We haven't decided on a girl's name yet, but we've pretty much settled on Andromeda as the middle name.

Astoria had been watching Ginny for the last several minutes. "Gin...are you alright?" she asked.

The red-head made a face. "I think I'm in labor..."

Harry swore loudly and then called for their house elves. "Winky, please take Teddy to the nursery. Kreacher, go fetch Molly and Poppy." Both elves disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, Winky taking her young charge with her. Harry used his wand to send his Patronus to Malfoy Manor and to Hogwarts Cottage. It was a small cottage that had been built on the edge of the Black Lake to be used as a retreat for the staff, though most of the staff had insisted that Severus and his family stay there during school breaks. Standing, Harry helped Ginny to her feet, preparing to help her walk back up to the house as magical means of travel were dangerous for the baby right now.

Draco stood as well, and scooped his pet chinchilla off the floor of the gazebo. "Go help them," Astoria told her husband, taking the small blue animal from him. "I'll be fine." He nodded and gave her a quick kiss before moving to help Harry with Ginny.

MFAMFAMFA

After the crowds had left for the night and Molly Weasley went to get settled in her room across the hall, Draco followed Harry back into the Master Bedroom, Tirzah in his arms. Harry placed Romulus in the crib and then took Tirzah from him, placing her next to her brother. Draco moved back toward the door and then, sensing another presence in the room, stopped and turned around. There, next to Harry and the cradle stood James and Lily Potter and Sam, all three gazing down at the newborns. Draco had only ever seen them in his dreams before and in those dreams had only spoken to Sirius and Regulus Black. But it had been months since they had visited his dreams. Actually, they hadn't visited him since just before his wedding nearly a year ago.

Now that he thought about it, he missed their visits. The visits from his cousins and the Potter family had been oddly comforting during those strange few years after his brief stay in Azkaban and then learning how to deal with the health problems brought on by that time. And his cousins, Sirius especially, had given him some good advice when it came to his pending marriage with Astoria.

He watched as Lily leaned her head against Harry's shoulder while James had his hand resting on Harry's other shoulder, much like their parents had earlier this evening. Draco wondered if his brother could sense their presence, and from the small smile on Harry's face, he had a feeling that he could. He'd have to remember to ask Harry about it later. Sam, standing on Lily's other side, looked up at Draco and winked. With a smile on his own face, Draco left the room and went down to the hall to the rooms that he shared with Astoria.

MFAMFAMFA

_Lucius turned the page of the photo album. The new page had pictures of the Potter family. One side of the page was pictures that had been taken with Harry and Ginny in the moments after the birth of the twins. There was also a picture that Molly had taken when Harry had brought Teddy into the room to introduce him to the twins before the rest of the family was allowed to see them. It was one of Lucius' favorites from that day because of the joy shown on Ginny's face and the love on Harry's face as he interacted with his family and the awe on Teddy's face as he saw his adopted brother and sister for the first time. Molly had done a wonderful job catching the emotions of the little family._

_The other page held a copy of the yearly article and photo shoot that Harry had agreed to do. So far, that arrangement had worked out well for his son. The media left Harry and his family alone and Harry was able to experience a somewhat normal life. Oh, there were still people who would stop him in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade or at Quidditch games, but for the most part they left him alone. Tirzah reached out and gently touched her mother's face in one of the photographs before turning the page._

_"Marcella next," Scorpi piped up from his coveted seat on Lucius' lap._

_"That's right," Lucius replied. "Marcella next."_

_MFAMFAMFA_

Draco leaned back against the headboard, a weary Astoria tucked under one arm as the other cradled their newborn daughter to his chest. The new baby was a couple hours old, but they still had not settled on a first name for their daughter. "She's perfect," he told his wife for what must have been the tenth time since she had been born.

Astoria hummed in agreement, snuggling closer to him. She had already taken a short nap, but was ready to sleep again. She had to agree with Draco; their daughter really was perfect. She looked like a little cherub with her blond hair and Malfoy blue eyes. "What about Marcella?" she asked quietly.

"Marcella Andromeda Malfoy..." Draco said, trying out the name.

"Marcella Andromeda Black Malfoy," she corrected.

Draco kissed the top of her head. "How foolish of me. She has to be Black by blood and name to alter the tapestry." He was silent for a moment. "I think the name suits her."

"And she was born in time to be in the same year as her cousins at Hogwarts," she said sleepily.

"Did I tell you what Severus told me?" he asked. "He told me to make sure that the next one wasn't born so close to the beginning of the school year." Harry and his family would be going back to Hogwarts the next morning with all of the students following a week later. Severus had given Draco the first week of school off, but said that was really all they could spare him.

"Tell him that I'll plan all of them for September 1st," she replied with an unladylike snort.

He laughed and kissed the top of her head again. "Go to sleep, minx." She smiled at him and drifted off to sleep, still cuddling against his chest. Draco watched his wife and daughter sleep for several minutes before glancing up to see Sirius and Regulus standing nearby. "I was wondering if you two would show up," he told them.

"We had to wait until your wife went to sleep," Sirius replied, walking closer and bending down to look at Marcella. "All Malfoy that one."

"Malfoy genes are stronger," Draco retorted. "Mother and Father only had one that looked like a Black."

"We'll never know with Harry, though," Regulus added.

Draco was silent for a moment. "You two haven't visited my dreams for a while.

"You didn't really need us anymore," Sirius replied.

"Then why show up now? And the Potters when Tirzah and Romulus were born? You didn't come in dreams then."

"Special occasions," Sirius answered with a shrug. "We can't stay long but we wanted to welcome the newest Black."

"Andromeda sends her love," Regulus told him.

"She couldn't come?" Draco asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Not this time."

Draco nodded and looked back down at his daughter as first Sirius and then Regulus gently touched her brow before they both disappeared, leaving Draco alone with his family.

**AN2: Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but life has gotten in the way. For those of you who don't know, my job working with on the oil spill cleanup ended just before Christmas. It took me nearly three months to find a new job and even that job isn't enough to pay the bills, so I'm still looking. And during all of this I decided to go back to college and get another degree. Because of all of this and what will be happening in the next couple of chapters, I decided to keep this chapter very light and fluffy. Please bear with me as I write the next couple chapters as what happens in them is something very personal. I don't want to come right out and tell you what it is, but if you look closely at this chapter you might be able to pick up on some foreshadowing.**


	15. Chapter 14

Harry walked around his classroom as his Fourth Year class of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as they took a practice exam. These practice exams would let him know what he needed to review with them before their real exams in two weeks. It had been Hermione's idea and he had used it with his O.W.L. students last year and it had worked so well that he had implemented the idea with all of his classes this year.

Noticing that Reg wasn't really paying attention to his test, Harry crossed the room and quietly tapped on his test parchment to get his attention. "Twenty minutes," he told the class before moving over to the desk that he kept in the corner of the classroom. He sat down at the desk and pulled out the middle drawer enough to see the photographs that he kept inside.

The first was a picture of himself with his siblings the previous fall on the morning after Liliana's Sorting. Harry had nearly fallen out of his chair at the Head Table when the youngest Malfoy was declared a "Slythindor". There had been some scrambling after the Welcoming Feast to figure out what to do. In the end, they had given the girl a bed in each dorm and the class schedules for First Year rearranged so that Gryffindor and Slytherin would share all their classes. Liliana now moved happily and easily between her two houses, often running through Harry's office to do so, as his office had doors to each common room. Before classes the next morning, they had all gotten together to take a picture in their school and teaching robes as it would be the only year all five Malfoy children would be together at Hogwarts as Aurora was a Seventh Year.

The other picture was newer. It had been taken just a few weeks ago when Harry and Draco had taken their families on a picnic by the lake. Once again Astoria and Ginny had gotten pregnant around the same time. There had been a lot of joking by the men in the family that Harry and Draco were competing against each other as they had since they were eleven. This time around Astoria was due first, just two weeks after the school year ended and Ginny was the one due the week before school started.

Harry looked up when the door opened and Severus walked in with the Head Boy. He stood and quickly walked over to them, ordering his students to go back to their tests. As he neared his godfather, he could tell that something was wrong. "Sev?"

"Mr. Warwick will dismiss your class when they finish," Severus told him. "You are needed in the Infirmary."

Harry's heart stopped. "Ginny? The baby? The kids?"

"Harry..." the Headmaster started, unsure how to break the news to one of his beloved godchildren.

The Savior of the Wizarding World took off running toward the Infirmary, not even waiting for Severus to finish. He could tell by the look in his godfather's eyes that something terrible had happened. Hundreds of scenarios filled his mind as he raced through the halls of the old castle. He skidded to a stop when he saw his father standing in the hall outside the Infirmary. Ginny had taken the twins to meet Lucius and Narcissa in Diagon Alley for lunch. "What happened?" he asked, panting slightly.

Lucius hesitated before answering. "Ginny collapsed at Madam Malkins..." Harry tried to step around his father, but Lucius grabbed his arm. "Harry..." Narcissa would be better at this, but she had taken the children to Malfoy Manor. They had both been quite distraught when their mother had collapsed.

"Why isn't she at St. Mungo's?" Harry asked.

"We didn't think you'd want the attention..."

He was right. Going to St. Mungo's would have gathered quite a bit of attention. That was why Poppy had been handling his family's medical needs. "Tell me..."

"Harry. I'm sorry..."

"No!" Harry said, shaking his head. "You're wrong!" This time he managed to step around his father and into the Infirmary where he had spent so much time as a student.

MFAMFAMFAMFA

When Harry left the Infirmary, Lucius had been joined by Severus, Draco and Hermione. Draco stood and limped over to his twin brother, leaving the cane that he had started using again leaning against the wall. He was shocked when Harry merely laid his forehead against Draco's shoulder. His shock caused him to hesitate, but when Harry began to silently sob, Draco wrapped his arms around his brother. He had never seen Harry be anything but strong. Not only for himself, but for his friends and family as well.

Hermione walked over and rested her hand on her best friend's shoulder, offering him what little comfort she could. Her friend - her sister - was dead and her unborn child with her. They had had no warning. No time to prepare themselves. For the third time in almost seven years the Weasley family had lost a child. Harry had lost his wife...and unborn child. She leaned her forehead against his back, hugging him as much as she could with Draco's arms around him.

Poppy stepped out of the Infirmary, closing the door behind her. She made her way over to Severus and Lucius. "There was nothing I could do," she told them quietly.

"Should I have taken her to St. Mungo's?" Lucius asked, watching his sons.

"No..." she replied, shaking her head. "They couldn't have done anything either. She died instantly. Her heart just stopped. There was nothing anyone could have done."

"Thank you, Poppy," Severus whispered.

She nodded and looked up at him. "If Harry wants to know...the baby was a boy."

"I'll tell him," Lucius replied as the mediwitch went back into the Infirmary.

**AN: I've had this chapter planned since October when I heard that a dear friend of mine was at work one day and collapsed. She never woke up. She was eight months pregnant with her second child. **

**Alyssa, you are missed!**


	16. Chapter 15

Lucius Apparated to Malfoy Manor with Harry, too worried about his son's state of mind to let him Apparate alone. He held his son close for a few moments, offering him comfort. What did you say to your child when they lost their spouse and unborn child? Ginny should have lived many more years before she died.

Harry rested his head against his father's shoulder, accepting the strength that he offered. "Can…can the kids and I stay for a while? I…can't go home."

"Of course, son," Lucius replied. "For as long as you need. This is your home too, Harry."

Harry nodded and stepped away, running his fingers through his hair. "What am I going to do?" he asked shakily.

"You take it one day at a time. Mother and I will help you through this. So will your brothers and sisters…and the Weasleys. You won't be alone at all through this. Right now I think you should go inside and spend some time with Romulus and Tirzah. They were pretty frightened when Mother took them away. Severus said that someone would bring Teddy here when he got out of school." Harry nodded once more, looking at the manor. "Harry, we'll work on the arrangements tomorrow."

Sighing deeply, Harry walked into the manor and up to the wing that he and Draco occupied when they stayed at the manor. When Draco had grown up at the manor he had occupied rooms on the same floor as their parents. After the Final Battle, Draco had moved up to the third floor in the same wing and he and Harry had been given suites across the hall from each other. At the end of the hall was a large nursery where Marcella and Harry's children stayed. It was in this room where Harry found his twins, sitting on either side of their grandmother as she read a book to them.

As soon as they saw him, the not quite two-year-old twins ran to their father. Harry knelt down and pulled them both into a tight hug. Narcissa stood and walked over to them, kissing Harry's brow. "I love you, sweetheart."

Harry stood, still holding his children. "I love you too, Mother."

MFAMFAMFAMFA

In the end, a public memorial service was held at Hogwarts. Later that same afternoon a private funeral was held at the Burrow with just the two families, Ginny's teammates and a few close friends in attendance. Ginny was laid to rest in the orchard next to her older brothers.

With his children occupied by other family members, Harry slipped upstairs. Charlie found him there half an hour later, curled up on Ginny's old bed, sleeping soundly despite the noise coming from downstairs. From what he had heard from various conversations, Harry hadn't slept since Ginny's death and was only eating when someone forced him to. He placed a blanket over his young brother-in-law and started to leave when something caught his eye out the window. Six-year-old Teddy was running away from the house toward the orchard. Realizing that the boy was alone, he left the house and followed the boy.

He found him standing over Ginny's newly filled grave. From across the clearing, he could hear Teddy's sniffles. Charlie walked over to the little boy and wrapped an arm around him from behind.

"Is Daddy Harry going to die too?" Teddy asked, leaning back against his uncle.

Charlie transfigured a chair and sat down, drawing Teddy onto his knee. "Teddy, everyone will die sometime. I know it doesn't make it hurt any less, but it was Ginny's time to die. No one knows when it will be their time to go. None of them knew," he said, looking over at where three of his younger siblings were buried. "What I do know is that Harry plans to be around for a very long time. But if for some reason he can't, I know that he has plans to make sure that you and Romulus and Tirzah are taken care of. When Harry adopted you, he named Draco your godfather and Hermione your godmother. That means that if something happens to Harry, they'll be there to take care of you."

"Like Daddy Harry did with me when Daddy Moony and Mummy Tonks died?" Teddy asked.

"That's right, Teddy. And if for some reason they couldn't take care of you, you have grandparents and a bunch of aunts and uncles for you to live with."

"Could I come live with you?"

Charlie smiled sadly. "Yes. If something happened to Harry, and Draco, and Hermione, then you could come live with me." Someone squeezed his shoulder and Charlie looked up to see George standing just behind him, with Hermione nearby. It was unusual to see George without Freddie, but Charlie knew that when George and Hermione's trips out to the orchard were some of the rare times they were apart.

George knelt down in front of his nephew. "Hermione and I come out here every time that we are together at the Burrow. Would you like to start coming with us?"

"What…what do you do?"

"I talk to Fred and Hermione talks to Ron. We tell them everything they've been missing," George replied.

"I'll come," Teddy said. "Can Daddy Harry come too?"

"When he's ready, he can come too," Hermione told him.

MFAMFAMFAMFA

_Lucius handed the scrapbook to Marcella and pulled Tirzah, who was crying softly, into his arms. Scorpious scrambled onto the arm of the chair to make room for his cousin to be comforted by their grandfather. Teddy put his arm around his younger brother and pulled him into his side. While Teddy had memories of Ginny, Tirzah and Romulus didn't remember her at all. But they were constantly surrounded by family who told them stories about their mother so often that they sometimes felt like they could remember._

**AN: I've been looking at what I still want to cover in this series and story and have decided that this will likely be the last story in the series.**


	17. Chapter 16

Draco slipped into his bedroom at Malfoy Manor and made his way over to the bed where a weary Astoria lay, a tiny bundle in her arms. He sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a gentle kiss. "How are you feeling, my love?" he asked.

"Tired," she replied with a exhausted smile. "But I wanted to introduce you to your son before I slept."

He carefully lifted his newborn son into his arms, staring down into the sleeping baby's face. "He's perfect."

"Scorpi..." she whispered sleepily, barely keeping her eyes open.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She hadn't seemed too thrilled about the name any time he had mentioned it before.

She reached up and caressed his cheek. "It's important to you that our son have that name." He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "And it's really not such a bad name."

"I love you, Astoria," he whispered.

"I love you too, Draco," she replied. It had taken Ginny's death a few weeks before to get them to admit their feelings for one another. "Take our son to meet his Uncle Harry and the rest of the family so I can get some rest."

He kissed her once more before leaving the room with his son in his arms. Both sets of parents and his three youngest siblings were waiting for him in the sitting room of his suite of rooms. Only Harry was missing. Draco sighed softly. Even though Harry and his children were living at Malfoy Manor, he rarely left his rooms and the whole family was worried about him.

Reg slipped from the room as the females of the group began fussing over the baby. He crossed the hall and knocked on the door to Harry's suite. He waited a moment before quietly entering the room. Harry was standing at the window, staring out at the moonlit grounds. The soon-to-be Fifth Year walked over to stand beside his brother, sharing the quiet with him.

"Boy or girl?" Harry asked, his voice rusty from disuse.

"Boy," Reg replied. He turned to look at his older brother. "Harry...Draco needs you. Your children need you."

"Someone has always needed me, Reg..."

"But this is different, Harry, This isn't the wizarding world expect you to save them. This is your family. Not only do we need you, but you need us. Let us help you."

Harry sighed deeply. Reg was right. His family did need him and his children especially. "Alright. Let's go see this nephew of mine."

They stepped into Draco's rooms in time to hear him say, "His name is Scorpius Abraxas Malfoy."

"Just don't do something crazy and call him 'Sam'," Harry said, leaning against the doorframe.

Draco turned and smiled at his twin. "Astoria has already nicknamed him 'Scorpi'. Besides, we already have a Sam in the family."

Harry raised an eyebrow as the rest of the family looked on in confusion. "Care to share, brother?"

Draco glanced around the room and sighed. "Right after we got out of Azkaban, I started having dreams. I dreamed I was at Potter House and there I saw Sirius and Regulus...and James and Lily Potter and their son...who they gave Harry's birth name. The others insisted on calling him Sam, much to Lily's dismay. I know it sounds crazy, but they really helped me out those first few months. Sirius and Regulus especially."

"We each have our own ways of coping," Narcissa told her oldest son before crossing the room and pulling Harry into a hug. "We've missed you," she told him.

"I know," he replied, returning her hug. "I just need time."

"Oh, love, we know you need time. We just want to help. Don't shut us out, Harry. We are all grieving, so let's do it together."

He nodded against her shoulder, holding her for a moment longer before stepping back. He crossed over to his brother. "Let me see my nephew."

Draco gave his newborn son over to his brother. "Don't fight me over the name, Harry. This is something I've wanted to do for years. Ever since I found out the truth."

Harry was quiet as he gazed down at his namesake, trying not to think about the son that he would never be able to hold. "I...I'm honored, Draco. Truly. It's much better than all those strangers naming their children after me the last couple years." Ever since the Final Battle, there had been a large number of boys named Harry or even girls named Harriet. The whole thing had irritated Harry and he wasn't really looking forward to teaching all of them when they reached Hogwarts. Having his nephew named after him—his true name—meant more to Harry than he could say. His birth name was something that had never been released to the public, even when he had been born. Harry finally turned to look at his twin brother. "Thank you, Draco."

MFAMFAMFAMFA

The next day Harry Apparated out to The Burrow. Instead of going to the house, he went out to the orchard that had become the family burial ground. He stood at one edge of the clearing, remembering the few summers he had spent here. All of them mostly happy. If he listened closely, he could almost hear their laughter carried on the breeze. Yes, this was a good place for Fred, Ron and Ginny to be buried.

He crossed the orchard to stand in front of the three gravestones.

_Frederick Gideon Weasley. 1978-1998. Son. Brother. Twin._

_Ronald Bilius Weasley. 1980-2000. Son. Brother. Husband. Father._

_Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter. 1981-2003. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother._

Harry knelt down in front of Ginny's headstone. "Oh, Gin...I miss you so much. We should be celebrating with Draco and Astoria and planning for our own little one." He sighed. "Draco told me that James and Lily gave their baby my name once they we reunited. So it only seems right that our baby have a name too. I know that we had asked Poppy not to tell us until the baby was born. But Poppy told me it was a boy. We talked about a lot of names, but none of them seem right now. I spent all night looking at that baby name book we had gotten and well...I hope you don't mind, but this one just seems right." He pulled a small piece of marble from his pocket and with a few quick spells had a small headstone that he carved briefly before placing it next to Ginny's.

_Aiden Michael Potter. 2003. Unborn Son. Brother._

"I love you, Gin," he whispered, before standing and with one last glance at the two headstones, he turned and walked away. It was time to get back to living again before his children thought he had died too.


	18. Chapter 17

**So Rae when out of town for a few days, and before she left I stole the next chapter of Thrice Defied out of her notebook. And since she didn't kill me last time, I figure I might survive another posting. So here you are!**

**-The Most Beloved Brat**

2007

Draco let himself into his quarters after supervising detention for a pair of seventh-year Slytherins who had decided that his Potions classroom was the place to fight over a girl. The resulting explosion had landed six students in the hospital wing. Six students who hadn't been the two fighters. He'd had to cancel his classes for the day while he and the two miscreants cleaned and repaired the classroom.

Normally detentions at Hogwarts didn't last more than three hours, but Sev had agreed that these circumstances were different. So they had contacted both sets of parents, even though both boys were of age, and had gotten permission for the longer detention. The classroom was now clean and ready for classes tomorrow.

Sev was on standby to teach his classes tomorrow if needed. If Draco wasn't careful, his disease would get the better of him and he would be stuck in bed for a day or more. He'd probably overdone things if he was reading his exhaustion correctly. After so many years, he had learned to read his levels of exhaustion. At least he'd have his family to keep him company while he recovered. Four-year-old Marcella and two-year-old Scorpius could always brighten his day. They loved nothing more than to spend the day cuddling in bed with their Papa. And as Astoria only worked as his assistant, grading papers for him, she always joined them. Even with the pain, those were some of the days that Draco loved most.

He hung his outer robes on a peg by the door and started across the room, stopping when he saw a light on under the door connecting his quarters to his brother's quarters. The door had originally connected their offices, but it had been moved after Ginny's death so that Draco and Astoria could have quicker access if Harry needed them. He opened the door to check on his brother and found Harry sitting in his recliner with eight-year-old Teddy in his arms. Teddy had been having nightmares lately that worried them all. "Another nightmare?" Draco asked quietly as he leaned against the doorframe.

Harry nodded. "Werewolves."

"But his father…"

"I know. I'm going to talk to Mother and Father about it tomorrow," Harry said. "Just finish with detention?"

"I don't think those two will be fighting again anytime soon. At least not in my class."

"And the girl?"

"Not speaking to either of them."

Harry smiled. "Good for her."

"Get some sleep tonight."

"You too, Draco. You look ready to pass out."

"On my way to bed now."

"Good night."

Draco waved and closed the door before heading to his own room. He changed clothes and climbed into bed next to his wife. She rolled over and curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head as he fell asleep, not really hearing what she murmured.

.MFA

As he had expected, Draco was unable to get out of bed the next morning. Astoria gave him one of his pain potions and then went to let Severus know that Draco would not be teaching. The potion was just starting to take effect when Marcella and Scorpi climbed into the bed, Marcella helping her brother before climbing onto the bed herself.

"Papa sick?" Scorpi asked, curling up as close as he could without touching Draco, his little head resting on Draco's pillow.

"Just a little bit, Scorpi," Draco reach over and brushed the hair out of his son's face.

"Can we snuggle?" Marcella asked. Where Scorpi looked like Draco, Marcella, or Marcy as she was sometimes called, looked like Astoria. Her hair was a darker blond than her father and brother and her eyes were bright blue to their grey.

Draco sighed. Some day he was in so much pain that he couldn't bear to have them touch him. And other days the disease merely drained him of his energy. Today it was the pain. "Not today sweetheart."

She nodded and curled up on the other side of her brother. Astoria came into the room and took off the dressing robe she had put on over her gown when she had gone to contact Severus via Floo. She draped it on the end of the bed and stretched out next to Marcella, wrapping her arms around her daughter as she smiled at Draco.

"I love you," he told her as the children fell asleep again.

"I love you too, Draco. Very much."

He smiled as he closed his eyes. But then the words she had murmured last night came back to him and his eyes snapped back open to find her still smiling at him, her face glowing. "You're pregnant?"

She nodded. "I am. We're due around Halloween."

"Katie did say that we'd have three children."

"A daughter and two sons," she added.

He wasn't sure if she had remembered what his goddaughter had told them all those years ago. "I guess it makes it easier to plan since we know what we'll be having."

"Much easier. We won't have to argue about girl names," she teased.

He smiled. "Now we can just argue about boy names."

"I think we can come to an agreement."

They had had several loud and long arguments before Scorpi was born about what to name their son. But in the end, she had agreed to the name Draco had chosen to honor his brother. Together they had come up with Marcella's name. A sudden thought came to him. "I'd like to tell Harry before we tell the rest of the family."

"I was going to suggest that," she replied. "It's going to be hard on him."

"You and Ginny did manage to get pregnant at the same time twice." He was quiet for a moment. "I'll talk to him when I'm feeling better."

.MFA

Later that same night Draco limped into Harry's rooms, leaning heavily on his cane. He had hated the thing at first, but now he was glad that he had it. On his milder bad days, the cane made a difference between being stuck in bed and teaching his classes.

"Should you be up?" Harry asked, coming from the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"I'm better. Just moving slow," Draco replied, easing onto the sofa.

Harry dropped onto the other end of the sofa, accepting the butterbeer that Kreacher handed him while Winky brought Draco a cup of tea.

"Kids asleep?"

"Yeah. Molly had all of the younger grandchildren today and wore them all out," Harry said, propping his feet up. "I made the mistake of agreeing to take Teddy, Gabriel and Libby flying after dinner."

Draco chuckled. "By yourself?"

Harry just glared at his twin. "All I know is that I hope that they don't have that much energy when they are students."

"They'll be in three different years and hopefully in different houses. "Libby's likely to be a Gryffindor," Harry replied. "Weasleys always have been. Remus was a Gryffindor and Tonks was a Hufflepuff, so Teddy could be either. I just can't see him being Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Gabriel…"

"Slytherin," Draco stated.

Harry laughed. "He's Sev's son. Through and through." He glanced over at his brother. "Something's bothering you."

Draco was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to best break the news to his brother.

"Draco…I'm fine. Really. I miss them, but I'm alright."

The blond took a deep breath. "Astoria told me yesterday that she's pregnant."

"Congratulations," Harry told him with a sincere smile.

"You're really alright with this?" Draco asked.

"Katie came by my office one day last year," Harry told him. Their goddaughter had started her first year at Hogwarts the September after Ginny had died. "She asked me if I was mad at her for not Seeing what happened to Ginny. We had a long talk and I assured her that I wasn't upset or mad. While we were talking I remembered the day that Gabriel was born. She told Ginny and I that we would have a son and a daughter. And we did. I also remembered what she told you and Astoria, so I knew you'd be coming to tell me this at some point. I really am happy for the both of you."

Draco was quiet for a moment. "Katie was wrong, you know. You have two sons and a daughter."

Harry smiled. "I asked her about that. She said that she only Saw our blood children. That children of the heart were another matter."


	19. Chapter 18

Headmaster Severus Snape grumbled as he rolled out of bed, careful not to wake his wife. Someone was knocking on the door to his private quarters, and only a few people knew where that was located. He slipped his robe around his shoulders and tied the belt as he stumbled to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Harry standing in the hall with a sobbing Katie hugging his waist.

"It was my night on duty," Harry told him. "I couldn't get her to settle down."

Severus nodded. "Come here, precious," he told his daughter, who let go of her godfather and attached herself to her father. After saying goodbye to Harry and closing the door, Severus led his Seer daughter over to the sofa where he sat down, down the Third Year Slytherin onto his lap, and began humming a lullaby. He knew that the only thing that would get her this worked up was a vision. He had taught her Occlumency but sometimes visions made it past her shields. "Tell me," he said quietly when she had calmed down. Normally she wrote her visions down in a journal, but this was obviously something she needed to talk about.

She took a few calming breaths before speaking. "Aunt Astoria lost her magic and died! Oh Daddy, it's awful!"

"I know, precious," he said, kissing the top of her head, wishing he could tell her that this vision wouldn't come true. But it had only been a couple days ago that Poppy had called in another Healer to confirm that Astoria had a rare condition in which an unborn child would begin to siphon away the mother's magic, leaving the mother completely unable to heal after childbirth. In nine of the ten documented cases the mother died. Not during childbirth itself, but within three months. The children born in these cases were among the most powerful witches and wizards in history. Albus Dumbledore had been one of the last documented and his mother had been the only one to live. She had gone on to have two more children, though neither of them had been very powerful. Draco and Astoria had only told a few people; his parents, her mother, Harry, Severus and Camille. They wanted some more time to adjust to the news before they told the rest of the family.

Astoria hadn't felt sick at all, she just had very little energy. Which was not a good thing when one had two active, small children. So Camille had started taking Marcella and Scorpi to Harry's quarters with her while she watched Romulus and Tirzah. Narcissa had also become a more frequent visitor to the castle, increasing her weekly visits to every other day.

The Healer that Poppy had called in was doing some research and would be getting back to them in a couple days. Severus just hoped that he came up with an option that they all could live with.

.MFA

Draco and Astoria sat in silence in the sitting room of their quarters neither looking at the other. It had been two weeks since the Healer had told them the news and today he had returned to give them the options he had researched. He stated that his research had led him to believe that Merope Gaunt Riddle was a victim of this rare condition and that everyone knew what Tom Riddle had gone on to become. His suggestion had been to abort the child and then try for another child in a few months.

Neither had said a word as the Healer left, saying that he would be back in a week for their decision.

Astoria sat on the sofa, her hand resting on the slight swell of her stomach where her unborn child rested. She adored both of her children, but this one was special to her. Marcella and Scorpi had been conceived to fulfill their marriage contract. It had only been in the weeks before Scorpi's birth that they had admitted to each other that they had come to love each other. This child had been conceived out of that love. "I can't do it, Draco," she said quietly. "I can't get rid of my child."

"Not even to save your own life?" he asked her.

She turned to glare at him. "Would you kill Marcy or Scorpi to save your own life?"

"But this is different…"

"Don't!" she snapped, grabbing his hand. She placed his hand on her stomach and was rewarded when her unborn son kicked his father's hand. "Don't tell me that this child is different."

"The Healer said…"

"Tom Riddle was raised in a Muggle orphanage where no one understood him or how to deal with a child with magic, let alone a child with powerful magic. He had no one to love and guide him. Even if I don't make it, this child will have a large family to love him and teach him right from wrong and to keep him from turning dark. I can't believe that you would even think that about a child of ours!"

"Astoria…"

"I don't want to hear it, Draco," she said, standing and storming down the hall to their room, where she slammed the door.

Draco leaned his head back with a deep sigh, closing his eyes. He didn't know what to think. He loved Astoria and didn't want to lose her. But then, he didn't want to lose their baby either. If they saved Astoria, they could have another baby.

After another few minutes he stood and took the Floo to Malfoy Manor. He wasn't really sure what to do, but he had the sudden desire to see his mother.

He found her in her study with Aurora and Madame Malkins, discussing the robes that his sister wanted for her upcoming wedding. He couldn't believe that she was actually old enough to get married.

Narcissa took one look at her son and knew something was wrong, so she excused herself and led Draco down the hall to the library, where she pulled him into her arms. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"The Healer came back today and told us that we have to choose which one to save: Astoria or the baby," he replied, clinging to his mother.

She kissed his cheek and led him to a sofa, still holding him close. "I am so sorry, love."

"What do I do, Mother? I don't want to lose either of them!"

"I know you don't, Draco. What does your wife want to do?"

He sighed. "She doesn't want to get rid of the baby. But that means she'll die…" He curled up on the sofa, resting his head on her lap as he had when he was frightened as a small child.

Narcissa ran her fingers through his hair. "A mother has a special bond with her child," she told him. "We get them for nine months before anyone else. I understand her decision, love. This child of yours is destined for great things. Don't take that away before he even has a chance to live."

"The Healer said that Voldemort was most likely an undocumented case…"

"Don't think about him, Draco. Think of Albus Dumbledore and the others who went on to do great things." She fell quiet for a moment. "You need to support Astoria in this, because in the end it is her decision."

"Even if it means losing her?"

"Even then, darling."

"Do I have to like it?"

"No, you don't have to like it, but you do need to support her in this."

"It's not fair. I shouldn't have to choose. No one should."

She continued to stroke his hair. "I know, love. But at least you have some time to prepare for what will happen."

Draco sighed. She was right. They would have time to come to terms with what was coming and would have time to say their goodbyes. Harry had had no warning when Ginny had died. "Can I stay here just a little longer?"

"As long as you need, sweetheart."

.MFA

Lucius and Narcissa followed Draco back to the castle an hour later to have dinner with Draco and Harry and their families. All five children gathered around the older couple, eager for their attention. Harry watched, grateful that his parents treated Teddy just like the rest of their grandchildren, even though the relationship was a little more distant. As soon as Lucius sat down, Scorpi climbed into his lap, demanding a story. The two-year-old loved stories, whether it was being read from a storybook or one someone made up for him. The other four gathered around as well and were soon engrossed in the story Lucius was telling.

Draco took advantage and pulled Astoria aside. "I'm sorry, darling. Whatever you decide, I'll support your decision."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "I'm scared, Draco."

"So am I, my love. So am I," he whispered, burying his face in her hair.


	20. Chapter 19

Hermione knocked on the door to Harry's office and let herself in. "So we're alone for the weekend," she said with a smile, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"It was nice of Molly to take the kids for the weekend," he replied, setting aside the essays he was grading. Arthur and Molly had all of their grandchildren to the Burrow for the weekend. Harry adored his children, but was looking forward to a quiet weekend. It was also his weekend off duty. Because he was Head of House for both Slytherin and Gryffindor, with Hermione also Head of Gryffindor and Draco for Slytherin, they had come up with a system that allowed them all some weekends off. They each worked two weekends and then had one off. Harry took Gryffindor for Hermione's weekend off and Slytherin for Draco's. The system had worked well for them so far.

"I know it's your off weekend," she started, "but I was thinking that we could watch Marci and Scorpi for the weekend so that Draco and Astoria can have some time alone."

Harry looked at his best friend for a moment. "I'm sure they would appreciate it. The Healer said that she'll be on bed rest soon…until the end…"

"How are you doing with this, Harry?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "I don't really know, Mi. I hate that he's going through this. We both know what it's like to lose a spouse. Oh, I know you didn't love Ron the way I loved Ginny, but you still loved him. You had a child with him. That creates a bond…one you can never get rid of."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. They had only become closer in the years since the Final Battle and even closer since Ginny's death. He was the brother she had always wanted and her best friend and closest confidante. He felt the same way about her.

He squeezed her hand in return. "I hate to say it, but in a way I'm jealous of him. He's got time to prepare himself, as much as anyone can prepare themselves in this situation. He's got time to say goodbye," he said, his voice breaking up at the end. "He'll still have his child." Not only had he lost his wife suddenly and without any warning, not even from the family Seer, but he had lost their unborn son as well. "It's not fair, Mi. I know he loves her, but…"

"But he and Astoria aren't soul mates the way that you and Ginny were," she finished for him. "Oh I have no doubt that he loves her, anyone can see that, but they weren't really meant for each other."

"Not like you and he are," Harry added quietly. "Don't try to lie to me about it. We all know it, Mi. But you are both stubborn. Though he can be stubborn and stupid."

She sighed. "I do still love him. Never stopped loving him. But I swore to myself years ago that I wouldn't do anything to come between them. I've kept that promise and I intend to continue keeping that promise."

"In less than a year he'll be free…"

"I know. And I hate myself for being happy about it. I hate the pain that he'll have to go through. The pain those two precious babies will go through. I won't throw myself at him once she's gone. But I will be there for him, as a friend. If he wants our relationship to be anything more, I'll wait for him to seek me out."

"That's a wise move." He stood. "Let's go get my niece and nephew. They can stay with me since I already have extra beds for them."

.

Her strength weakening daily, Astoria was already spending a good portion of her day in bed. She knew it would only be a matter of days before she was stuck in bed until she delivered her son in a month or so. But there was something she needed to take care of first. Slowly making her way across the castle, she knocked in the door to Hermione's office.

Hermione answered the door a moment later. "Astoria! You shouldn't be on your feet!"

"I had to talk to you," Astoria replied as Hermione helped her through her office and into her quarters where the seating was more comfortable.

After preparing tea for the two of them, Hermione sat across from her. "What can I help you with?"

"I need you to promise to take care of my family when I'm gone."

"Of course…"

"You don't understand," Astoria interrupted. "I want you to marry Draco and be a mother to my children."

Hermione had to set her cup of tea down before she dropped it. "Astoria…"

"I know he loves me, Hermione, but I know that he loves you too. He's buried those feelings and has never given me any reason to doubt his faithfulness. But he is going to need you after I'm gone. I don't want him to withdraw himself from everyone the way that Harry did, because I know that he won't come out of it like Harry did. My children would lose both of their parents and I don't want that.

"I've been watching you with my children the last few weeks and I know you would love them like your own. You don't know how important it is for me to know that they are loved and well cared for."

Hermione looked down at her hands for a long time. "I will consider your request."

"I hope you'll do more than consider it. Let him grieve, but not forever. After the proper amount of time, pursue him. It's not really common here in our world for a woman to openly pursue a man…but it does happen sometimes. Just look at Blaise's mother. She pursued all but her first husband. I'm getting away from the point, though. If you still love him, and I'm fairly certain you still do, then you'll want what is best for him. I've been thinking about it since we first got the news and you are what is best for him, Hermione. And I can't think of anyone that I would rather have be a mother to my children.

"They are each so different and will need someone who can be all the different things they need. Marcella is very much a Malfoy in personality. She doesn't always act like it, but she's showing it more and more. She needs someone to keep her from become a spoiled brat like Draco was at that age. Scorpius…Scorpi's quietness reminds me so much of Harry. And if I didn't know better, I would think he was Harry's son. Being Harry's best friend for so long, you'll be able to know how to respond to Scorpi better than Draco will." She placed her hand on the child in her womb. "And this child will be one of the most powerful wizards our world has ever seen. I know that you will not only help train him, but will also keep him properly grounded as well."

"You have a lot of faith in me…" Hermione whispered after a moment.

"We both know that Harry wouldn't have made it through school without you. Both academically and with all the times that Harry was attacked during school. You brewed Polyjuice in your second year. And some of the things you did in your fifth year were downright Slytherin. The way I see it, you represent the best of all the Houses: knowledge, bravery, loyalty and cunning. I want my children to know all those things. I also know that you don't love Draco for the Malfoy name or money. That's something else I worry about…I worry that anyone he marries only loves the name or money rather than Draco and the children."

"I…I won't throw myself at him, Astoria, but I can promise you that I will stand by him and support him like the good friend he has become. If he remembers the feelings he once had for me, and wants to marry me, then I will. Until then, your children already consider me an aunt and I will continue to be that to them. I wish I could promise you more, but I just can't."

"Just don't abandon him. Or my children."

"Never."

Draco stared down at the newborn cradled in his arms. His son had been born a couple hours before and Astoria had passed out from exhaustion a few minutes later. It had taken them a long time to come with a name: Phineas Peverell Malfoy. Phineas, not for Phineas Nigellus Black who had been a famous Hogwarts Headmaster, but for his son who had been disowned for being a Muggle lover. Peverell for the Peverell brothers who had been the original owners of the Deathly Hallows, which had all come into Harry's possession and was how he had managed to win the War. Draco thought the name was fitting seeing how his son had inherited the dark hair and features of the Black family.

It seemed so off that this tiny creature was going to be such a powerful wizard. So powerful that even before is birth, his magic had siphoned away his mother's magic. His magic was still draining hers; he could feel it. From what the Healer had told him, her body was fighting to keep it's magic and in the end that fight would kill her.

With his free hand, he reached over and brushed the hair away from his wife's face. He wasn't ready to lose her. He'd had a few months to prepare, but he still wasn't ready. They had been married for six years, but it was only in the last three years that they had come to truly love each other. Three short years. Three far too short years. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it gently. "I'm not ready to say goodbye, my love."

**AN: Only one more chapter left before I put this series to rest. I will likely go back and add some one-shots to it later, but right now I want to try and finish up some of the other stories that I have started and maybe work on a few ideas that I have waiting.**


	21. Chapter 20

**EPILOGUE**

**2008  
Easter Break  
Malfoy Manor**

Draco sat on a bench that had been placed in the family graveyard near Astoria's grave. He came out here every chance he had gotten in the six months since she had died. It had been a long six months and there were days when he had had to force himself out of bed. His parents had taken turns staying with him to help with his children, just as they had done for Harry when Ginny died. Harry had taken over sole care of Slytherin House, leaving Gryffindor to Hermione. Severus had taken over Fifth and Seventh Year Potions classes to help them prepare for their exams.

He was beyond grateful for their help, but he knew it was time to get back to the land of the living and take control of his life again. He needed to take his classes back and help Harry out with Slytherin. Both Harry and Hermione deserved a break.

Hermione. Dear Hermione. He had found Astoria's diary last week and had read through it. He had stopped after he had reached the entry detailing a conversation with Hermione about what Astoria had wanted her to do after Astoria's death. He hadn't forgotten the feelings he had once had for Hermione, but he had buried them deeply in order to focus on Astoria as Sirius had suggested in one of his dreams.

He recalled telling Hermione that they would have to wait seven years before they could act on their feelings for each other. Fate must have a sense of humor before they were both free now, just not the way that they had expected all those years ago. He had never expected for them both to be widowed, just like he had never expected to have fallen in love with Astoria either.

Six months was still the socially accepted period to wait before moving on after the death of a spouse, so he could pursue Hermione without the gossiping old biddies starting in on either one of hem of the tabloids speculating that something improper had happened between them. He didn't want to do anything to cause her problems. No, it was best to start small and court her properly. And make sure that the feelings that they had once held for each other were still true.

**2008  
Christmas Eve  
Grimmauld Place**

The former Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was crowded. As had become tradition since that first Christmas after the War, the Weasley and Malfoy families gathered there on Christmas Eve every year. Their numbers had more than tripled since that first year with marriages and children. They had been joined this year, as they had most years, by the Snape family. Since the war, very few children had remained in the castle during the Christmas holidays. Most families had wanted to be together, leaving the staff free to make plans outside the castle.

There were several new additions to the group this year. From Hogwarts came Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Poppy Pomprey and Neville Longbottom with his wife Hannah. Hagrid and Madame Maxime had come from France. Ollivander and Minister Shacklebolt rounded out the group.

Minister Shacklebolt stood in the hallway just outside the door to the sitting room while Draco and Hermione stood in the doorway facing each other. Hermione's parents stood by her side and Lucius and Narcissa stood next to Draco, all four acting as witnesses as Draco and Hermione joined their lives together in marriage.

Harry also stood close by with the four children. Dark-haired Phineas, just over a year old, slept peacefully in his uncle's arms while his older brother Scorpi clung to Harry's leg. On Harry's other side Libby stood behind Marcella, with her hands resting on her new sister's shoulders. Every few moments, she grinned happily at her uncle. Libby's father, Ron, had died before she was a year old and though her many uncles made a point to spend time with her, she was excited to be getting another father. She was also excited about becoming a big sister and had already proven to be a big help with Draco's children. Libby had her mother's brains and Draco had quickly won his way into the girl's heart with books and trips to Muggle museums. Draco had further won her allegiance when he had asked for her permission to marry her mother and then offered to adopt the girl.

Draco stared into Hermione's eyes as they spoke their vows to each other. As he had courted her, he had fallen even more in love with her, something he hadn't really thought possible. He hadn't really understood before when his parents had talked about being soul mates. Arthur and Molly Weasley were soul mates and he knew that Harry and Ginny had been as well. He knew now that he had been looking for Hermione long before their final year at Hogwarts. It made sense to him now. He hadn't understood his feelings at twelve and thirteen and had picked fights with her instead. If he had figured it out sooner it would have saved them both so much heartache, but then they wouldn't have the four beautiful children standing under Harry's watchful eye. He was thrilled to finally be able to adopt Libby, whom he had secretly claimed as his own since she was born. Hermione had been wonderful with his own children. Even Marcella, with her Black stubbornness, had responded to her. He couldn't wait for them to finally be a family.

**Present Day  
Malfoy Manor**

The last picture in the photo album was of Harry and Teddy right after Teddy had been Sorted into Gryffindor. The young Metamorphmagus had turned his hair red and gold to celebrate the occasion. Lucius closed the photo album. "That's the last one until Aurora has her baby and Libby gets Sorted," he told them.

"In Ravenclaw," Draco said as he and Hermione entered the library. Hermione had Phineas perched on her hip. "Mother was wondering where all of you disappeared to."

"Scorpi and I were looking at your mother's photo album and the others trickled in." Lucius stood, still holding Scorpi. "Let's go, children. If your grandmother is looking for us, we best stop hiding from our guests." He didn't see the smile that Draco and Hermione shared as he led the children from the room.

Once back out on the lawn Draco got everyone's attention. "Hermione and I have an announcement to make," he said, smiling at his wife and children. They had told the children last night and couldn't wait to tell the others.

Hermione smiled back at him. "I'm pregnant!"

**THE END**

**AN: So here's the end of our little saga…at least for now. I may go back later and add another story or some one-shots, but for now I want to finish up some of the other stories I have in progress. I also have several new ideas that I'd like to work on, including a joint project with my sister Winceline (AKA The Brat) which is a Harry Potter and Agatha Christie crossover parody we're calling "Ten Little Voldemorts". We are both looking forward to allowing our somewhat twisted humor run free.**

**Thank you for sticking with me on this journey and I hope to see you all again in the future.**


	22. Epilogue

**AN: I've been meaning to come and put a proper epilogue on this series for a while now and decided that today was a good day to do so. This epilogue is for the Most Beloved Brat on her 17****th**** birthday. Happy wizarding adulthood.**

Kings Cross Station, in general, and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, in particular, were crowded. It wasn't that Draco Malfoy hated crowds, it was just that it wasn't really easy to maneuver through them with a cane in one hand and his four-month-old daughter Athena tucked in his other arm. When Hermione's parents had first bought them the baby sling that he now wore, he had thought they were crazy. But as he leg had gotten worse, he had become quite grateful for it. Some days, that sling was the only way he got to hold his daughter.

Many of those in this crowd were current and students of his at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and they knew not to get in his way. But those who would be First Years this year, including his oldest daughter, Libby, would soon learn. If not from Draco himself, then from Harry or Hermione or one of the other staff. Usually messing with Professor Malfoy meant messing with the whole staff. It used to bother him, but now he just found it rather amusing.

"Why are we here again?" Draco asked Hermione, his wife of nearly six years. "I mean, Libby has lived at Hogwarts for most of her life."

Hermione gave him an exasperated look that he knew was frequently used on her students. "Because Harry let Teddy ride the Express two years ago and Severus let Gabriel ride it last year. It's part of the experience, Draco. Let her enjoy it." She had their five-year-old son Phin on her hip. Phin had gotten quite attached to his step-mother and rarely left her side.

"It's not that I don't want her to enjoy it, Mi. It's just really crowded and Athena's still so little." He kissed the top of their daughter's head.

"That's why you have her, Papa," eight-year-old Scorpius spoke from his father's side. Where Phin tended to stick close to Hermione, Scorpius was his father's shadow. He even insisted on miniature robes like the ones his father wore in the classroom and could be found in the Potions classroom with Draco as often as he could sneak out of his own lessons with his great-aunt Camille. "Because all of the students know not to bump into you."

"Thank you, Scorpi," Hermione replied, smiling at the boy. "Have you seen your sisters yet?" she asked. Their older two daughters, Libby, her daughter with Ron Weasley, and Marcella, Draco's daughter with Astoria, were coming to the station with Draco's brother Reg and his soon-to-be wife, Katie. Reg and Katie had taken them shopping the day before for their robes for the upcoming wedding. The girls had spent the night at Malfoy Manor afterwards.

"Not yet, Mama, but there's Uncle Harry," the boy answered, pointing to an out of the way corner where Harry stood with his three children. Every once in a while, someone would approach him while he was out in public, but for the most part, the Wizarding world had finally left him alone. He still did his yearly interview and photo shoot with Teddy, Terzah and Romulus, and they had learned to just content themselves with that.

Phin wiggled to be put down and ran over to his cousin Teddy as soon as his feet hit the ground. Teddy had become Phin's favorite cousin this summer when Teddy had taken him flying.

Hermione greeted Harry with a kiss on the cheek, even though they had seen each other at breakfast that morning. "Draco's complaining about crowds again," she told him, smirking at her husband.

Harry chuckled. "He just doesn't want to think about Libby being old enough to be a student at Hogwarts. I went through the same thing with Teddy two years ago. I refuse to think about how old they are all getting."

"Your other two will be going next year," Draco reminded his twin.

"So will Marcella," Harry retorted.

"That's enough, boys," Narcissa said, as she and Lucius joined them. Moments later Reg, Katie, Libby and Marcy joined them. Soon the entire Weasley family joined them as Bill's daughter Victoria was also going to Hogwarts this year. Gabriel had woken up that morning with a cold and Severus had decided not to allow the boy to ride the Express, much to the young Slytherin's displeasure. As usually happened when the Weasleys gathered, the noise level increased ten-fold and Draco stepped away to allow Athena to continue sleeping.

"It's almost time," Lucius told them several minutes later.

There was a flurry of activity the three students hugged their family goodbye. Draco hung back, pretending not to watch as Libby said her goodbyes as he sung quietly to Athena. The conductor blew the two minute warning and Teddy, Libby and Victoria hurried toward the train.

Libby stopped just before boarding and ran back to him. Someone took Athena from him and someone else took his cane, allowing him to catch his step-daughter when she threw herself at him. He held her close, not willing to let her go. Even though they would be seeing each other again in a few hours, he knew this moment was important to her. He held her back at arm's length before taking her precious face in his hands. "My Livy," he whispered, using the nickname that he alone used. "I am so proud of my girl."

Tears filled her brown eyes. "I love you, Papa."

"I love you too," he replied, pulling her into another hug. "Now go. You don't want to outdo your Uncle Harry and miss the train your first year."

"Wouldn't want Uncle Sev to expel me before I even get Sorted," she said, kissing his cheek and wiping away a tear he hadn't even realized he had shed. With one last smile, she ran for the train again, jumping aboard just before it pulled away.

Wrapping his arm around Hermione, he took the cane that someone handed to him and they walked to the edge of the platform, determined to watch until the train was out of sight. He remember the day that she was born as if it were only yesterday. He remembered going to see her in the hospital that first night and giving her his old stuffed dragon, which he knew for a fact was tucked in her trunk, waiting to be transported to whatever House she was Sorted into later that night. Even though she had only legally been his for five years, she had always been his baby girl. And always would be.


End file.
